What's the Salary for a Degree in Medical Office Administration?

<p>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. </p> <h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutMedicalOfficeAdministrationDegreeHolders"> Important Facts About Medical Office Administration Degree Holders</h3> <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>