Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary

The median medical secretaries and administrative assistants salary in the United States is $45,930 per year ($22.08/hour). Salaries range from $35,930 at the entry level to $60,530+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 961,610 medical secretaries and administrative assistants jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 4.2% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asMedical SecretaryMedical Administrative Assistant
Median Salary
$45,930
per year
Hourly Rate
$22.08
per hour
Employment
961,610
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$35,930
25th percentile
$38,570
Median
$45,930
75th percentile
$50,580
90th percentile
$60,530

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+4.2%
As fast as average

Annual Openings

85,900
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

High school diploma or equivalent

Training Needed

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for medical secretaries and administrative assistantss.

Medical Secretaries + Medical Administrative Assistants provide clerical + administrative support to physician offices, hospitals, and healthcare facilities. Career splits: physician practice (single specialty + multi-specialty), hospital-based (admin + billing + records), corporate healthcare (insurance + managed care), specialty (dermatology, cosmetic surgery β€” cash-pay). Path: high school + medical office certificate + optional CMAA (Certified Medical Administrative Assistant). Compensation: entry $32-45k; experienced $40-58k; senior + specialty $52-72k; office coordinator + supervisor $58-82k; office manager $72-105k+.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Medical terminology + coding basics
Understanding common medical terms + ICD-10 + CPT basics.
EHR + practice management software
Epic + Cerner + Athena + eClinicalWorks + Kareo + specialty systems.
Insurance verification + prior authorization
Verifying eligibility + benefits + obtaining pre-authorizations.
Scheduling + appointment management
Complex scheduling with multiple providers + procedures + patient preferences.
Patient communication + customer service
Empathetic communication + confidentiality + de-escalation.
HIPAA + regulatory compliance
Patient privacy + records retention + minimum necessary standard.
Basic billing + payment collection
Copay collection + payment posting + insurance follow-up basics.
Team coordination
Working with providers + nurses + MAs + billing team.

How to Become a Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

  1. 1
    High school diploma or GED
    Reading + typing + basic math + communication.
  2. 2
    Optional: Medical office certificate program (6-12 months, community college)
    Gives leg up on entry positions. $500-3,000.
  3. 3
    Apply to physician practice or hospital
    Wide variety of employers. Entry-level positions available everywhere.
  4. 4
    Complete on-the-job training (1-2 weeks)
    Practice-specific EHR + processes + protocols.
  5. 5
    Get CMAA (Certified Medical Administrative Assistant) β€” NHA
    Signals commitment + higher pay tier.
  6. 6
    Move to Senior + Office Coordinator (3-5 years)
    More responsibility + training.
  7. 7
    Advance to Office Manager or Practice Administrator
    5-15 years + CMPE for medical practice.

Career Progression

Entry Medical Secretary
0-2 yrs$30-42k Β· Hourly $15-20
  • β€’Reception + phones + scheduling
  • β€’Insurance verification
Next: Experienced.
Experienced Medical Secretary
2-5 yrs$38-55k Β· Hourly $18-26
  • β€’Independent scheduling + insurance
  • β€’Some supervisory duties
Next: Sr / Coordinator.
Senior Medical Secretary / Office Coordinator
5-10 yrs$48-72k Β· Hourly $23-34
  • β€’Lead front-office team
  • β€’Complex insurance + specialty
Next: Office Manager.
Office Manager / Administrator
8-15+ yrs$65-105k+
  • β€’Full office operations
  • β€’Team of 8-15+ staff
Next: Practice Administrator.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 9 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Tell me about your medical office experience.situational
Specific practices + EHR + specialty + years.
Q2. How do you handle a difficult patient?situational
Listen + empathy + resolve or escalate.
Q3. How do you handle multiple demands?situational
Triage + urgent-important + communication + delegation.
Q4. Why our practice?culture
Research + concrete citation.
Q5. How do you handle HIPAA?situational
Minimum necessary + secure documents + no discussion outside authorized.

Resume Template β€” Experienced Medical Secretary (3-6 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Experienced Medical Secretary (3-6 yrs)
  • β–ΈMedical Secretary, [Practice], responsible for scheduling + insurance + front office for 4-provider practice.
  • β–ΈCMAA + HIPAA + Epic Certified. Bilingual English + Spanish.
  • β–ΈReduced patient no-show rate from 24% to 12% through improved reminder system.
  • β–ΈTrained 4 new-hire medical secretaries.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—Weak medical terminology or EHR skills.
  • βœ—Poor communication or customer service.
  • βœ—Bad-mouthing prior practice.
  • βœ—HIPAA compliance issues.
  • βœ—Attendance issues.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“Hourly rate + shift differential.
  • βœ“Sign-on $500-2k.
  • βœ“Full benefits + retirement match.
  • βœ“Tuition reimbursement.
  • βœ“CMAA + specialty certifications support.
  • βœ“PTO 3-4 weeks.
  • βœ“Career path to Coordinator + Supervisor + Office Manager.

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Resume Review β€” $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired medical secretaries and administrative assistantss. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

  • βœ“ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
  • βœ“ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
  • βœ“ Missing skills / keywords flagged
  • βœ“ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
  • βœ“ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Career Kit β€” $19

  • βœ“ All 9 interview questions with expert answers
  • βœ“ 10 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • βœ“ Interview format intel for 6 top employers
  • βœ“ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
  • βœ“ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
  • βœ“ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
  • βœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
  • βœ“ Detailed salary negotiation script
  • βœ“ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
  • βœ“ Downloadable PDF for offline access
  • βœ“ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
βœ“ 7-day money-back guarantee β€” no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

Sample reviews β€” real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.

β€œThe interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.”

β€” Anonymous, Financial Analyst

β€œCopy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.”

β€” Anonymous, Software Developer

β€œThe 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.”

β€” Anonymous, Registered Nurse

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$36K
$58Kβ–  No data

Top Paying States

Washington
$58K
+26%
California
$54K
+19%
Massachusetts
$50K
+9%
Oregon
$50K
+9%
Minnesota
$50K
+9%
Hawaii
$50K
+9%
District of Columbia
$49K
+7%
New Jersey
$49K
+6%
Connecticut
$49K
+6%
New Hampshire
$48K
+5%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
StateMedianvs. National
Washington$58,100+26.5%
California$54,490+18.6%
Massachusetts$50,290+9.5%
Oregon$50,130+9.1%
Minnesota$50,030+8.9%
Hawaii$49,920+8.7%
District of Columbia$49,180+7.1%
New Jersey$48,660+5.9%
Connecticut$48,500+5.6%
New Hampshire$48,410+5.4%
1–10 of 51

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$69,350+51.0%
Napa, CA$61,830+34.6%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$61,330+33.5%
Vallejo, CA$61,220+33.3%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$60,350+31.4%
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$60,240+31.2%
Longview-Kelso, WA$58,830+28.1%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$57,730+25.7%
Bellingham, WA$55,670+21.2%
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA$54,740+19.2%
1–10 of 393
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A medical secretaries and administrative assistants earning $45,930/year would need 1298 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 1393 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries β†’
πŸ“ˆ See how medical secretaries and administrative assistants salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants salary trend (2011–2024) β†’