Medical secretary
Make sure a doctor's office runs smoothly so patients get the best service possible.
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£337
Entry level
£462
Experienced
Monthly
£1,458
Entry level
£2,000
Experienced
Yearly
£17,500
Entry level
£24,000
Experienced
3,800
people are currently employed
Low growth
100 fewer jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
A day in the life — medical secretary
What it's like
You would make sure a doctor’s office runs smoothly so patients get the best service possible.
You would make appointments, deal with patients’ queries and work closely with health professionals.
You could work for a:
Consultant in a hospital
Director or chief executive of an NHS trust
GP surgery
Private practice
University or research department
Pharmaceutical company
You would:
Handle enquiries from patients
Organise a consultant's or director’s diary
Make travel arrangements
Manage a consultant's waiting list
Update patient records
Send samples for medical testing
Make sure that test results are filed with the right patient notes
Type patient letters and clinical reports
Manage a filing system
Oversee an office budget.
You might lead a team of secretaries. You would manage their workload and make sure they had all the equipment they needed to do their job.
You can see more about this role in the National Health Service on the Medical Secretary/personal assistant page of the NHS Careers website.
Hours
Environment
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Healthcare
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- negotiating
- motivating others
- managing resources
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- working with numbers
- problem solving
- written communication
- verbal communication
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Administration and Information Technology
English
Information and Communications Technology - ICT
Qualifications at SCQF levels 4 to 5 or a work-based qualification such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Administration (SVQ level 2/3).
You could do an Modern Apprenticeship in Business and Administration.
A course in administration or business may be helpful at National Certificate (SCQF level 4), National Qualification (SCQF level 4) or Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7).
A typing or word processing qualification is useful and sometimes essential.
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