How To Become A Business Office Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a business office specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Business office specialists provide general logistical support and assistance with all office activities as a valued resource.

While part-time jobs or positions with small firms may accept candidates with just a high school diploma or GED for this position, employers seeking workers for full-time positions may prefer to hire candidates who have completed a formal education program, according to multiple online job listings.

Business office specialists may wish to increase their employment and advancement opportunities by earning industry certification. However, earning the certification requires completing a qualifying examination based on office systems, management skills, and office professionalism.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), all secretaries and administrative assistants, including business office specialists, earned a median salary of $36,630.

ScoreBusiness Office SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,197

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.01%

Asian 7.30%

Black or African American 11.51%

Hispanic or Latino 17.52%

Unknown 4.53%

White 58.15%

Gender

female 88.30%

male 11.70%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.3

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a business office specialist

Explore business office specialist education requirements

Most common business office specialist degrees

Bachelor's

34.3 %

Associate

28.4 %

High School Diploma

17.9 %

Start to develop specific business office specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	23.41%
Insurance Verification	9.12%
Customer Service	8.99%
Payroll	8.54%
Patient Registration	5.73%

Complete relevant business office specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business office specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business office specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business office specialist resumes.

Gain additional business office specialist certifications

Business office specialist certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific business office specialist certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for business office specialists include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA).

More About Certifications

Research business office specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage the medical front office and coordinate business operations with physicians and legal staff for a busy MRI facility.
Utilize CPT and ICD-9 coding and billing.
Understand basics of HCFA professional billing and reimbursement from insurance companies, CPT and ICD-9 coding, patient billing and collections.
Verify insurance and eligibility, assessment of patient financial requirements, along with counseling patients on insurance benefits and co-payments.

Prepare your business office specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business office specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business office specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable business office specialist resume templates

Build a professional business office specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your business office specialist resume.