Medical Secretary

Job Description:

Medical secretaries provide office support in hospitals, GP surgeries, private clinics and universities.

Job Category:

Health Care & Social Assistance

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What you will do:

In this role you could:

handle questions from patients, staff and consultants
organise a doctor’s diary, book consulting rooms and meetings
make travel arrangements
manage a waiting list of patients
update patient records and deal with confidential information
send samples for medical testing and record the results
type letters, clinical reports, minutes of meetings and do filing
monitor an office budget and deal with invoices

Skills:

You’ll need:

administration skills
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

As well as:

customer service skills
to be thorough and pay attention to detail (organisational skills)
the ability to work well with others (teamwork skills)
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
sensitivity and understanding
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure (leadership skills)
excellent verbal communication skills

Illustration of employee looking at workspace

Entry Requirements:

To become a medical secretary, you don’t typically need specific GCSEs (or their equivalents) related to the field, but you should have a strong foundation in general education and administrative skills. However, some relevant subjects and skills can be beneficial for this career. Here’s a list of subjects and skills that can be useful for aspiring medical secretaries:

English Language (Essential): Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential for medical secretaries as they deal with patients, healthcare professionals, and medical records regularly.
Mathematics (Essential): Basic math skills are necessary for tasks such as billing, processing insurance claims, and managing financial records.
Science (Recommended): While not mandatory, having a basic understanding of biology or anatomy can be helpful for understanding medical terminology and documents.
IT and Computer Skills (Essential): Proficiency in word processing, spreadsheet software, email, and electronic health record (EHR) systems is crucial for managing patient records and other administrative tasks.
Business Studies (Useful): A basic understanding of business principles and organizational skills can be beneficial in managing appointments, billing, and general office tasks.

Post School

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job. In the UK, for example, relevant subjects include:

Level in Management and Administration
Diploma in Medical Administration
Diploma in Medical Terminology

Apprenticeship

You can get into this role through a business administrator advanced apprenticeship.

This typically takes 18 months to complete as a mix of workplace learning and off the job study.

Work

If you already work in a healthcare setting, for instance, as a receptionist or clerical assistant, it may help you move into a medical secretary role if you take a relevant qualification while you’re working.

Direct Application

You’ll find it useful to have a typing or word processing qualification before you look for work. Some organisations may also want you to have knowledge of medical terminology.

Career tips

To get a job as a medical secretary, you’ll need experience of working in an office, ideally in a secretarial role. Temporary work can be a good way of getting this experience.

Working Hours and Environment:

A typical week consists of 37-39 hours of work. You could be required to work between 8am and 6pm on a rota.

You could work in an office, at a GP practice or in a public or private hospital.

Career Path & Progression:

With experience, you could manage a team of secretaries in a large organisation.

With further training, you could become an administration manager, office manager or GP practice manager.

You could also move into roles in finance or HR.