Medical Receptionist: Job Duties, Career Outlook, and Education Prerequisites
Research what it takes to become a medical receptionist. Learn about education requirements, job duties, salary and job outlook to find out if this is the career for you.
What Does a Medical Receptionist Do?
Every company, lawyer, clinic, even schools have someone to greet visitors, answer phones, and do a lot of the office work. In medical institutions, these people are recognized as medical receptionist.
Medical receptionists greet patients, schedule appointments and complete other office tasks for a medical office or health care facility. Find out the average salary, employment outlook and education requirements, as provided by the chart below.
| Education Required | High school diploma |
| Key Responsibilities | Welcome patients, schedule appointments, answer telephones, enter patient information into a computer, escort patients to examination and waiting rooms |
| Job Growth (2020-2030) | 4% for all receptionists and information clerks* |
| Median Salary (2020) | $31,110 for all receptionists and information clerks* |
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What Could I Expect During My Career as a Medical Receptionist?
Medical receptionists manage the flow of information in doctors' offices and other health care facilities. They set up appointments, organize paperwork and distribute information via mail, telephone and e-mail. Medical receptionists use desktop publishing programs and digital graphics to make spreadsheets, manage data and create documents on computers. As a medical receptionist, you are responsible for communicating with vendors, inspecting leased supplies, organizing stockrooms and training new employees.
What Is My Occupational Outlook?
The outlook for medical receptionists is favorable, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of all receptionists will grow by four percent between 2020 and 2030 (www.bls.gov). Physicians' offices employed 7.90% of all receptionists in 2020. Advances in technology will not slow the growth of the medical receptionist industry, because workers are still needed to interact with staff, plan meetings, and handle other duties that can't be accomplished using technology alone. BLS salary data showed that the median salary of receptionists was $31,110 per year in 2020; those who worked in doctor's offices earned a mean salary of $32,880.
What Educational Requirements Should I Meet?
Monster.com showed that professional experience and computer proficiency are important to prospective employers. Many high school vocational programs offer courses that teach typing and office skills, as do most community colleges. Medical receptionists usually require specialized training to learn the language in their industry, so a course in medical terminology may be helpful. Diploma programs may also be available for prospective medical receptionists in vocational schools. Additionally, the increased use of electronic health records has added to the need for strong technological skills. A strong sense of confidentiality is also important, since privacy laws surrounding medical records have increased.
What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?
Alternative professions with similar educational backgrounds would include clerks working in general offices. Customer service reps or secretaries and administrative assistants also relate to the business. Even bank tellers have similar backgrounds. All of these jobs only require a high school diploma along with some on-the-job training.