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Medical Administration/ Assistant

A program that prepares individuals to perform the duties of special assistants and personal secretaries for practicing physicians and nurses, health care facilities and services administrators, and other health care professionals. Includes instruction in business and medical communications, medical terminology, principles of health care operations, public relations and interpersonal communications, software applications, record-keeping and filing systems, scheduling and meeting planning, applicable policy and regulations, and professional standards and ethics. Examples: [Dental Secretary]

Types of Degrees Medical Administration/ Assistant Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Medical Administration/ Assistant can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2,371
Associate’s Degree	3,322
Master’s Degree	2,065

What Medical Administration/ Assistant Majors Need to Know

Studies in Medical Administration/ Assistant build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Administration/ Assistant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Medical Administration/ Assistant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Medical Administration/ Assistant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Medical Administration/ Assistant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Administration/ Assistant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Performing Administrative Activities	4.1 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Administration/ Assistant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
NaviMedix NaviNet	Medical software	—
eMDs Medisoft	Medical software	—
Intuit QuickBooks Point of Sale	Point of sale POS software	—
Amazing Charts	Medical software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance CMS Secure Net Access Portal C-SNAP	Medical software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Administration/ Assistant graduates include:

• Scheduler
• Reception Technician (Reception Tech)
• Unit Clerk
• Medical Office Receptionist
• Secretary
• Medical Billing Specialist
• Client Service Coordinator
• Dental Secretary
• Dental Front Desk Receptionist
• Hospital Unit Clerk
• Hospital Receptionist
• Guest Service Representative
• Insurance Verifier
• Verification Specialist
• Medical Office Clerk

What Can You Do With a Medical Administration/ Assistant Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Medical Administration/ Assistant commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants	6.9%	$61,212	$52,136–$70,287

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Administration/ Assistant graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	47.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	26.0%
Postsecondary certificate	19.9%
Less than a high school diploma	5.3%
Some college courses	1.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Administration/ Assistant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 94.9% of Medical Administration/ Assistant degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7,373	94.9%
Men	398	5.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Administration/ Assistant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,797	36.0%
Asian	212	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,414	18.2%
Black or African American	2,903	37.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	93	1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	34	0.4%
Two or More Races	160	2.1%
Race Unknown	140	1.8%
International Students	18	0.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Administration/ Assistant Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Medical Administration/ Assistant graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,041
4 years	$36,054
5 years	$40,847

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,847 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Medical Administration/ Assistant Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Medical Administration/ Assistant. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	52	16

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Medical Administration/ Assistant Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Medical Administration/ Assistant graduates earn a median of $36,054 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	28,347
Medical Insurance Specialist/Medical Biller	11,963
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	11,828
Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder	10,171
Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration/Management	3,494
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	3,168
Medical Office Management/Administration	2,900
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	2,781
Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,195
Medical Reception/Receptionist	844
Clinical Research Coordinator	347

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.