How To Become A Lead Receptionist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead receptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average lead receptionist salary is $31,289. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a lead receptionist. Lead receptionists with a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 4,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLead ReceptionistUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $31,289

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.89%

Asian 6.17%

Black or African American 9.54%

Hispanic or Latino 23.04%

Unknown 4.61%

White 55.75%

Gender

female 91.90%

male 8.10%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead receptionist

Explore lead receptionist education requirements

Most common lead receptionist degrees

Bachelor's

34.7 %

High School Diploma

25.5 %

Associate

24.3 %

Start to develop specific lead receptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	19.91%
Customer Service	14.93%
Front Desk	10.55%
Data Entry	8.23%
Phone Calls	8.12%

Complete relevant lead receptionist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead receptionists 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 lead receptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead receptionist resumes.

Research lead receptionist duties and responsibilities

Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Supervise all medical records, both receiving & sending using HIPPA guidelines.
Maintain medical records according to HIPPA compliance, filing physician notes, etc.
Insert additional data and contact notes as necessary to keep medical records current through an EMR system.

Get lead receptionist experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a lead receptionist. The most common roles before becoming a lead receptionist include receptionist, sales associate team lead and cashier.

Prepare your lead receptionist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead receptionist 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 lead receptionist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lead receptionist resume templates

Build a professional lead receptionist 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 lead receptionist resume.