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What is a medical office technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a medical office technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.9 an hour? That's $28,906 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 117,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a medical office technician?

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA) LinkedIn profile

Faculty Coordinator of Allied Health/Medical Assistant Program Director, Midstate College

-LIKE- People who enjoy working as a Medical Assistant do it because they get a
great satisfaction from help other people. They are often the first contact with the
patient in the medical facility, which sets the tone for the rest of the visit.
They feel good making sure that their patients have the right information that they
need, the appropriate medical care they need, and helping patients feel better.
Good problem-solving skills, compassion, understanding, patience and keeping
up with a fast-paced office is very rewarding.
-DISLIKE- Some Medical Assistants have determined that there are
area/tasks/etc. that they dislike, listed below are some of these things:
 You’re always around people who are sick
 Long work hours can include 10 or 12-hour days
 Lower starting salary, which is usually based on education and
experience level
 Having to deal with stressful situations and difficult patients
 Dealing with patients who are angry, cranky, anxious or not feeling well
 Working under pressure from extremely tight deadlines
ScoreMedical Office TechnicianUS Average
Salary
2.3

Avg. Salary $28,906

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.89%

Asian 8.44%

Black or African American 10.77%

Hispanic or Latino 22.36%

Unknown 5.17%

White 52.37%

Gender

female 82.39%

male 17.61%

Age - 35
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 - 35
Stress level
7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Medical office technician career paths

Key steps to become a medical office technician

  1. Explore medical office technician education requirements

    Most common medical office technician degrees

    Associate

    33.0 %

    Bachelor's

    17.5 %

    Certificate

    15.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific medical office technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients28.30%
    EHR26.52%
    Appointment Scheduling20.51%
    Vital Signs9.64%
    Computer System2.92%
  3. Complete relevant medical office technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical office technicians 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 technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical office technician resumes.
  4. Research medical office technician duties and responsibilities

    • Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
    • Conduct screening tests and prepare incoming patients for appointments including collecting medical histories and creating charts.
    • Prepare examination and treatment rooms with necessary medical instruments and administrative paperwork for surgery, inpatient and outpatient treatment.
    • Perform routine laboratory procedures and diagnostic testing including ECG lead placement.
  5. Prepare your medical office technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical office technician 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 technician 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 technician resume templates

    Build a professional medical office technician 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 technician resume.
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
    Medical Office Technician Resume
  6. Apply for medical office technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a medical office technician 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 technician job

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Average medical office technician salary

The average medical office technician salary in the United States is $28,906 per year or $14 per hour. Medical office technician salaries range between $22,000 and $36,000 per year.

Average medical office technician salary
$28,906 Yearly
$13.90 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do medical office technicians rate their job?

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Medical office technician reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Pros

Interaction with patient. Caring for patients. Educating, Scheduling procedures.

Cons

Being overwhelmed with too many time sensitive referrals. Appeals


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Cons

I do not like the old people that think all I want to do is take their money. This one old man's name was Darrel and he got mad at me and tried to fight me. I had to run away. Then another one of my Carney brothers saved my life and I will never be able to repay him for what he has done for me. I can not wait for the fair here this September in Middle Tennessee. The Rotary Club always does such a wonderful job. But the old people still suck pretty bad.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2019
Pros

To take care of people , letting them know that I care and want to help them

Cons

I love everything about medical assistant


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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.

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