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Medical Reception/Receptionist

A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of office managers, nurses, or physicians, to provide customer service, visitor reception, and patient intake and discharge services. Includes instruction in medical office and health care facility procedures, medical terminology, interpersonal skills, record-keeping, customer service, telephone skills, data entry, interpersonal communications skills, and applicable policies and regulations.

Types of Degrees Medical Reception/Receptionist Majors Are Earning

Those studying Medical Reception/Receptionist can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	122
Master’s Degree	332

What Medical Reception/Receptionist Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Medical Reception/Receptionist develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Medical Reception/Receptionist emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Medical Reception/Receptionist program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Medical Reception/Receptionist careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Reception/Receptionist professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates include:

• Machine Records Units Supervisor
• Customer Services Supervisor
• Administrative Supervisor
• Claims Supervisor
• Gate Services Supervisor
• Admitting Officer
• Medical Billing Supervisor
• Accounts Receivable Manager
• Files Supervisor
• Claims Adjuster Supervisor
• Accounting Manager
• Telephone Information Supervisor
• Adjustment Supervisor
• Accounts Receivable Supervisor
• Tool Crib Supervisor

What Can You Do With a Medical Reception/Receptionist Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Medical Reception/Receptionist commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	-0.4%	$27,636	$23,670–$31,602
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 Reception/Receptionist graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	32.8%
Bachelor’s degree	27.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	16.1%
Some college courses	12.6%
Postsecondary certificate	8.2%
Less than a high school diploma	2.1%
Master’s degree	0.8%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Reception/Receptionist?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 91.4% of Medical Reception/Receptionist degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	771	91.4%
Men	73	8.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	280	33.2%
Asian	54	6.4%
Hispanic or Latino	234	27.7%
Black or African American	212	25.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.5%
Two or More Races	30	3.6%
Race Unknown	21	2.5%
International Students	3	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Reception/Receptionist Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Medical Reception/Receptionist 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.}

Is a Degree in Medical Reception/Receptionist Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Medical Reception/Receptionist 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
Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant and Medical Secretary	7,771
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
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.