What's the Salary for a Degree in Medical Office Administration?
Professionals who hold a degree in medical office administration maintain patient records, prepare medical documents and perform other clerical tasks. If you earn a degree in this field, you might work as a medical secretary or transcriptionist at a doctor's office, hospital, clinic or research facility. Read on to learn what kind of salary you can expect to earn.
Career Options and Salary Information
An associate's degree is the most common degree awarded in medical office administration. With your degree, you can apply for jobs as a medical office assistant, also called a medical secretary. If you undergo more specialized training during your associate's degree program, you might also work as a medical transcriptionist. Your experience level and location can both affect your potential salary in either of these positions.
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutMedicalOfficeAdministrationDegreeHolders"> Important Facts About Medical Office Administration Degree Holders</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><th> </th><th> Medical Secretary </th><th> Medical Transcriptionist</th></tr>
<tr><td> Job Outlook (2021-2031) </td><td> 8% growth </td><td> -7% decline</td></tr>
<tr><td> Professional Certifications </td><td> Voluntary, but recommended for advancement; Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification administered by the International Association of Administrative Professionals </td><td> Voluntary, but recommended for advancement; The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity offers the Registered Healthcare Documentation Specialist (RHDS) and the Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CDHS) designations</td></tr>
<tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Organization; excellent writing ability; integrity; social nuance </td><td> Computer competency; critical thinking; active listening; time management</td></tr>
<tr><td> Similar Occupations </td><td> Court reporters; paralegals and legal assistants; receptionists </td><td> Information clerks; medical assistants; medical records and health information technicians</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---MedicalSecretarySalaries">Medical Secretary Salaries</h3><p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that as of May 2021, the median wage for medical secretaries was $37,450 per year (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). The lowest ten percent earned $29,040 or less yearly, while the highest ten percent earned $53,630 or more yearly.
</p><h4 id="section---SalaryByExperience">Salary by Experience</h4><p>According to <i>PayScale.com</i>, most entry-level medical secretaries earned between $26,000 and $35,000 a year in November 2022, while most mid-career professionals made between $30,000 and $62,000. Most experienced medical secretaries earned between $29,000 and $65,000, while late-career professionals typically made between $26,000 and $68,000.
</p><h4 id="section---SalaryByEmployer">Salary by Employer</h4><p>Most medical secretaries worked for physicians' offices, general hospitals and dentists' offices in May 2021, according to the BLS. These employers offered respective average wages of $38,130, $40,450 and $43,170. Merchant wholesalers offered the highest average wage of $72,410 in May 2021.
</p><h4 id="section---SalaryByLocation">Salary by Location</h4><p>The states that employed the most medical secretaries as of May 2021 were California, Texas and Florida, based on BLS figures. These states offered respective average wages of $46,400, $36,390 and $35,800. The state that offered the most competitive salaries for workers was the District of Columbia, which paid medical secretaries a mean wage of $47,880 per year as of May 2021, according to the BLS. Massachusetts employed over 23,850 workers and also offered a higher-than-average salary, paying these workers a mean yearly income of $46,130.
</p><h3 id="section---MedicalTranscriptionistSalaries">Medical Transcriptionist Salaries</h3><p>If you're interested in this career, the BLS reported that medical transcriptionists earned a median yearly salary of $30,100 as of May 2021. The bottom ten percent of transcriptionists made $22,810 or less yearly, while the top ten percent of professionals earned $48,190 or more annually.
</p><h4 id="section---SalaryByExperience-2">Salary by Experience</h4><p>The majority of entry-level medical transcriptionists earned between $25,000 and $40,000 in October 2022, reported <i>PayScale.com</i>. Most mid-career workers earned between $12,000 and $40,000, while most experienced medical transcriptionists made between $15,000 and $51,000 a year. Late-career professionals typically made between $17,000 and $71,000 a year.
</p><h4 id="section---SalaryByEmployer-2">Salary by Employer</h4><p>According to the BLS, general hospitals, physicians' offices and business support services employed the most medical transcriptionists in May 2021. These employers offered respective average wages of $42,460, $37,730 and $27,610. Dentists' offices, which employed these workers, offered the highest average wage of $50,320.
</p><h4 id="section---SalaryByLocation-2">Salary by Location</h4><p>Florida employed the highest number of medical transcriptionists (5,850) in the nation in May 2021, and offered a salary of $31,710, according to the BLS. The BLS reported that Connecticut and Minnesota was the highest-paying states for medical transcriptionists, with a mean annual salary of $49,810 and $44,730 respectively.</p>