---

Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in California

Considering working as a Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in California? Below are the key facts. Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.

What do Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Make in California?

The medical secretaries and administrative assistants working in California, the median annual wage is $52,720 per year (or about $25.34/hour).Earnings range from $38,070 at the 10th percentile to $73,990 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$38,070	$18.30
25th percentile	$44,770	$21.52
Median (50th)	$52,720	$25.34
75th percentile	$61,920	$29.77
90th percentile	$73,990	$35.57

The job concentration index in California compared to the national average — is 1.20, indicating that medical secretaries and administrative assistants are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, medical secretaries and administrative assistants earn a median of $61,212 per year ($29.43/hour), lower than the California median.

Employment Outlook

Nationally, total employment in this occupation is 1,240,329 medical secretaries and administrative assistants nationwide. In California alone, about 116,890 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 8,150 medical secretaries and administrative assistants.

Top California Metros for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

The largest metro-area employers of medical secretaries and administrative assistants in California.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	45,160	$50,770
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	14,000	$61,090
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	10,750	$48,200
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	10,320	$50,450
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	7,640	$56,300
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	5,890	$67,380
Fresno, CA	3,190	$46,480
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	2,740	$51,580
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	1,690	$45,850
Modesto, CA	1,360	$47,840
Stockton-Lodi, CA	1,250	$47,220
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	1,170	$56,980
Salinas, CA	980	$50,430
Vallejo, CA	940	$60,260
Visalia, CA	940	$46,180
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	930	$48,330
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	840	$51,960
Chico, CA	620	$48,840
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	620	$49,880
Redding, CA	530	$45,930
Napa, CA	480	$60,940
Merced, CA	360	$40,680
El Centro, CA	310	$45,140
Yuba City, CA	290	$48,160
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	240	$44,460

Top States for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Employment

The table below shows the states where the most medical secretaries and administrative assistants work.

State	Number Employed
California	116,890
Florida	80,430
Texas	72,810
North Carolina	45,540
New York	34,170
Tennessee	31,780
Ohio	29,970
Michigan	27,440
Pennsylvania	26,270
Illinois	24,150
Massachusetts	22,110
Virginia	20,860
Kentucky	20,550
Indiana	19,460
Georgia	18,180
New Jersey	17,710
Arizona	16,650
Minnesota	16,240
Oregon	15,530
Alabama	14,900

Highest-Paying States for Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

The highest-paying states for medical secretaries and administrative assistants.

State	Annual Median Salary
Washington	$56,920
California	$52,720
Massachusetts	$50,190
Oregon	$49,570
Minnesota	$48,820
Connecticut	$48,720
Hawaii	$48,620
Alaska	$48,160
New York	$48,090
Rhode Island	$47,540

Skills

The most important medical secretaries and administrative assistants skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for medical secretaries and administrative assistants, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Answer telephones and direct calls to appropriate staff.
• Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.
• Complete insurance or other claim forms.
• Greet visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and direct them to appropriate staff.
• Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.
• Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files.
• Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
• Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.
• Operate office equipment, such as voice mail messaging systems, and use word processing, spreadsheet, or other software applications to prepare reports, invoices, financial statements, letters, case histories, or medical records.
• Perform bookkeeping duties, such as credits or collections, preparing and sending financial statements or bills, and keeping financial records.
• Perform various clerical or administrative functions, such as ordering and maintaining an inventory of supplies.
• Transcribe recorded messages or practitioners' diagnoses or recommendations into patients' medical records.

Work Activities

• Working with Computers
• Processing Information
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Getting Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Performing Administrative Activities
• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Scheduling Work and Activities
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: eClinicalWorks EHR software, Epic Systems In-demand technologies: Henry Schein Dentrix

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

• Health/Medical Admin Services

  Featured schools near , edit

  Previous Next

  College Finder

  ×

  Desired Degree Level - Select One - Associate Bachelor Master Doctorate Certificate / Diploma Desired Study Area - Select One - Criminal Justice & Legal Business & Commnunications Technology Fine Arts & Design Health, Nursing, Medicine Psychology & Counseling Education & Teaching Vocational Traning Zip Code

  High School/GED Grad Year Highest Level of Education Completed - Select One - Haven't completed High School High School/GED Associate Bachelor Master Doctorate

Related Careers

Careers similar to medical secretaries and administrative assistants include:

• Medical and Health Services Managers
• Emergency Medicine Physicians
• Pharmacy Technicians
• Medical Records Specialists
• Patient Representatives
• Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars

Also Known As

Administrative Support Specialist, Appointment Scheduler, Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMMA), Client Service Coordinator, Clinic Office Assistant, Clinic Receptionist, Dental Front Desk Receptionist, Dental Front Office Coordinator, Dental Office Receptionist, Dental Receptionist, Dental Secretary, Front Desk Agent, Front Desk Receptionist, Guest Service Representative, Hospital Admissions Clerk.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 43-6013.00