Post Job

What is a medical office administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Eileen Cyr Ed.D.
introduction image

The duties of a medical office administrator revolve around financial, infrastructural, human resources, and record-keeping tasks. A medical office administrator oversees the daily record keeping of the income and expenses of the office. He/She supervises employees like nurses and ward boys. Furthermore, he/she oversees all aspects of a medical office like financial transactions, necessary drugs, and other medical equipment, office infrastructure, and other office requirements. Asides from that, he/she handles client accounts and communicates with insurance companies. He/She may be tasked with ensuring all doctors' licenses are up to date. Additionally, he/she administers payroll, collects patient information, and schedules appointments.

To qualify for this position, you need at least an associate's degree in a relevant discipline. Having relevant certifications is a plus. Key skills include problem-solving, communication, attention to detail, analytical, troubleshooting, interpersonal, computer, and management skills. These administrators are paid around $43,109 a year. This varies between $24,000 and $79,000.

What general advice would you give to a Medical Office Administrator?

Eileen Cyr Ed.D.Eileen Cyr Ed.D. LinkedIn Profile

Professor, Springfield College

Use every resource at their disposal to increase their understanding of SEL and FACE. Build a resume that provides evidence of their ability to thrive in both a virtual and face to face classroom. Be prepared to engage with online platforms like Zoom, Nearpod, Jamboard, Padlet, and google slides.

Breathe - the airline advice of putting on your oxygen mask before assisting others is 100% applicable to today's teachers.
ScoreMedical Office AdministratorUS Average
Salary
2.7

Avg. Salary $34,252

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.2

Growth Rate -8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.2
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 3.77%

Black or African American 9.57%

Hispanic or Latino 11.96%

Unknown 3.77%

White 70.56%

Gender

female 90.65%

male 9.35%

Age - 51
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 - 51
Stress Level
7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
4.7

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
9.3

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Medical Office Administrator in Ashburn, VA

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

Medical Office Administrator career paths

Key steps to become a medical office administrator

  1. Explore medical office administrator education requirements

    Most common medical office administrator degrees

    Bachelor's

    30.8 %

    Associate

    29.1 %

    High School Diploma

    14.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific medical office administrator skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients20.82%
    Patient Care9.74%
    Customer Service8.16%
    Insurance Verification5.27%
    Phone Calls4.55%
  3. Complete relevant medical office administrator training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical office administrators 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 medical office administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical office administrator resumes.
  4. Gain additional medical office administrator certifications

    Medical office administrator 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 medical office administrator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for medical office administrators include Medical Assistant and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM).

    More About Certifications
  5. Research medical office administrator duties and responsibilities

    • Re-Evaluat & improve policy manual, develop standards for HIPPA, OSHA, manage care, billing and medical compliance.
    • Facilitate client relationships and manage surgery schedules, financial consultations, follow up care and ongoing maintenance.
    • Used knowledge of medical procedures and customer service, record medical histories and schedule patients for hospitalization and other procedures.
    • Scan new information such as daily progress notes, physical exams, labs and diagnostic testing into EMR.
  6. Prepare your medical office administrator resume

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

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Medical Office Administrator Resume templates

    Build a professional Medical Office Administrator 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 Medical Office Administrator resume.
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
    Medical Office Administrator Resume
  7. Apply for medical office administrator jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a medical office administrator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Medical Office Administrator Job

Zippi

Are you a Medical Office Administrator?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average medical office administrator salary

The average Medical Office Administrator salary in the United States is $34,252 per year or $16 per hour. Medical office administrator salaries range between $27,000 and $41,000 per year.

Average Medical Office Administrator Salary
$34,252 Yearly
$16.47 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

How do medical office administrators rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Medical Office Administrator reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Pros

I like making sure other patients information was not in another patient records filing the records and also triaging the records as well.

Cons

Not have work to do.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

Always something new to do, and learn, always changing.

Cons

Being taken over by computers, job is going away office staff is becoming smaller and smaller or out sourced to 3rd party companies.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

Interacting with the public very friendly helpful in problem solving also I have patience with others

Cons

Rude customers who use profanity


Working as a Medical Office Administrator? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse office and administrative jobs