Medical secretaries are clerical experts who perform administrative tasks, such as updating documents, processing payments, and organizing materials. Some medical secretaries are medical administrative assistants. In addition to their clerical tasks, these administrative assistants supervise other staff.

There’s a wide range of career opportunities for qualified medical secretaries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that, while opportunities for other secretaries decrease, medical secretaries will see a ten percent increase in job opportunities from 2019 to 2029. Continue reading to learn about some of the best job opportunities for medical secretaries.

1. Mental Health Offices

Mental health professionals include counselors, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists. Mental health professionals use various therapies to treat patients with mental illnesses or personal issues, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychoanalysis.

Working for a Baltimore therapist offers an opportunity to work with people struggling with anxiety, trauma, depression, and several other mental health issues. In addition to their decision-making strengths, medical secretaries who work in the mental health field need patience and compassion.

2. Doctors Offices

Primary care physicians have medical offices where they treat patients. Medical secretaries working in a doctor’s office perform a wide range of clerical tasks, such as scheduling appointments, collecting copays, processing insurance claims, filing paperwork, updating patient records, answering phones, and placing follow-up calls to patients. Medical secretaries who work for primary care providers may see the same patients regularly throughout their career, making this an excellent option for secretaries who enjoy interacting with patients.

3. Medical Clinics and Hospitals

Medical clinics are medical facilities where walk-in patients who don’t have scheduled appointments receive outpatient care. Medical secretaries may direct multiple patients to several medical professionals working in the clinic. They must have excellent organizational skills to ensure they utilize available personnel and prioritize patients correctly.

Hospitals are extensive medical facilities. They provide inpatient care to patients who need to stay in the hospital. Their emergency rooms provide outpatient care for patients needing emergency treatment. Medical secretaries employed by hospitals include ward clerks and medical billing clerks.

4. College Programs

Medical secretaries must complete a medical secretary program. These programs provide training in a range of subject areas to ensure graduates can process insurance claims, collect payments, answer phones, schedule appointments, and call in prescriptions. Students must have a high school diploma or GED to qualify for admission to these programs.

Postsecondary programs need expert instructors with practical experience. Medical secretaries may pursue the additional training required to teach the next generation of medical secretaries and administrative assistants. This is an excellent opportunity for medical administrative assistants seeking a new challenge. It also demonstrates leadership skills, leading to administrative assistant opportunities working for hospitals or insurance companies.

5. Health Insurance Companies

Health insurance companies provide the financial resources required to receive medical care. Clients may pay for health insurance through their employer’s health insurance program, or they may purchase their health insurance policy.

Health insurance providers need clerical staff to process payments and ensure accounts are up to date. Insurers also need medical secretaries familiar with medical terminology to process insurance claims submitted by medical professionals and facilities. Medical secretaries specializing in billing will determine the copay patients must make, apply claims to each client’s coverage limits, and authorize the transfer of funds.

6. Specialists Offices

Medical specialists are highly trained medical professionals. They include doctors who train to treat specific parts of the body or illnesses. For example, an oncologist is a medical doctor trained to diagnose and treat patients with cancer.

Physical therapists treat patients who have physical mobility and balance issues. Their clients include people who’ve been injured in accidents, have a disability, or have been affected by a medical condition, such as a stroke.

Occupational therapists may also work with stroke patients or patients with disabilities. Their objective is to help patients learn or regain practical skills, such as tying their shoes and buttoning their clothes. Speech-language pathologists treat individuals with speech and swallowing issues. Audiologists treat patients who’ve suffered hearing loss.

Medical secretaries may find opportunities to work for medical specialists. These medical secretaries may benefit from learning appropriate medical terminology suitable for the specialist’s type of care.

There are many career opportunities for medical secretaries. Some of the best opportunities include working in mental health offices, doctors’ offices, medical clinics and hospitals, and specialists’ offices. Medical secretaries can also explore opportunities working for health insurance providers or become postsecondary medical secretary training program instructors.