How to hire a hospital receptionist

How to hire a hospital receptionist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step hospital receptionist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a hospital receptionist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new hospital receptionist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your hospital receptionist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a hospital receptionist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A hospital receptionist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, hospital receptionists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of hospital receptionists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Hospital Receptionist	Description	Hourly rate
   Hospital Receptionist	Receptionists perform administrative tasks, such as answering phones, receiving visitors, and providing general information about their organization to the public and customers.	$12-17
   Greeter	A greeter is a person who greets and welcomes customers and clients into an establishment. Since their job mostly is to greet customers, greeters must possess a friendly and positive attitude... Show more	$9-15
   Front Desk Coordinator	A Front-Desk Coordinator is the point of contact in a commercial establishment or building such as offices, clinics, salons, and even government agencies. The primary responsibility of a Front-Desk Coordinator is to greet and assist clients of their needs, such as filling-up registrations, appointing schedules, directing clients, and bridging information in a building... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Front Desk
   • PET
   • Data Entry
   • Reservations
   • Phone Calls
   • Exam Rooms
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Telephone Calls
   • Multi-Line Phone System
   • Word Processing
   • Customer Service
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • Patient Demographics

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
   • Provide administrative support to staff members across a fast-pace medical practice, maintain office operations, and assist patients and guests.
   • Interact with clients regarding pet care.
   • Assist both the doctors and clients to assure that the pet's medical needs are meet.
   • Handle clerical tasks for the hospitals such as answering phones, greeting patients and visitors, record and chart keeping.
   • Establish accurate accounts for each guest upon check-in according to their requirements and ensure guest paperwork or documentation are filed appropriately.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your hospital receptionist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A hospital receptionist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, hospital receptionists' average salary in alabama is 44% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level hospital receptionists earn 32% less than senior-level hospital receptionists.
   • Certifications. A hospital receptionist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a hospital receptionist's salary.

   Average hospital receptionist salary

   $14.99hourly

   $31,183 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level hospital receptionist salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

4. Writing a hospital receptionist job description

   A good hospital receptionist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a hospital receptionist job description:

   Hospital receptionist job description example

   Client Service Representative, VCA Cypress Creek Animal Hospital
   
   We are seeking an experienced Client Service Representative to join our team.
   At VCA Animal Hospitals, we take our mission statement - your pet's health is our top priority and excellent service is our goal - very seriously.With every opportunity, we aim to exceed each pet owner's expectations.
   We're looking for a personable yet highly professional "service extraordinaire" to join us in delivering our mission to our clients and their pets.
   
   Why We Need You
   As the face of VCA, the Client Service Representative sets the tone for the practice as we build and maintain each customer's trust and confidence in our abilities.The CSR is the pivot around which the hospital operates and is responsible for:
   •Customer service functions, including: greeting visitors, answering telephones, and guiding clients and their pets to exam rooms.
   •Scheduling and confirming appointments.
   •Placing outbound calls for follow-ups and reaching out to prospective clients.
   •Presenting and explaining fees, including processing payments.
   •Recommending, selecting, and obtaining products and services, including prescriptions.
   •Answering questions regarding products and services, including educating clients on general animal husbandry and non-medical pet care (i.e., heartworm prevention, housebreaking, and flea & tick control).
   •Managing medical records, charts, reports and correspondence.
   •Hospital maintenance (including removal of animal waste) and ensuring that facility is neat and clean at all times-both inside and outside.
   
   This position requires one year experience in an animal hospital setting and flexible hours including Saturdays.
   
   If you are a current associate, you need to apply through our internal career site. Please log into Workday and click on the Career worklet on the landing page or search for Find Jobs.
   
   Benefits: We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and paid vacation/sick days, 401(k), generous employee pet discounts and more!
   
   The information in this position description indicates the general nature and level of work to be performed. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job. Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, change in personnel, workload, or technical development).
   
   We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer - Veterans / Disabled. For a complete EEO statement please see our career page at vcacareers.com.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find hospital receptionists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your hospital receptionist job on Zippia to find and recruit hospital receptionist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting hospital receptionists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new hospital receptionist

   Once you've found the hospital receptionist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new hospital receptionist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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