Paging Dr. Fauci. As a medical receptionist, it's your job to make sure patients and visitors get to where they need to be. You also need to be able to provide information to people who call or walk in with questions.
While being knowledgeable is important in this position, memorizing might be even more important. If a patient comes in with an emergency, you need to be able to stay calm while figuring out exactly where they need to go. And some hospitals are pretty big, so that can be a difficult task.
The job requires you to have a high school diploma before you can get started. And it's useful to be a good communicator as well. You wouldn't want to accidentally send a patient with a broken arm to the pregnancy center. Unless, of course, that patient was also pregnant - but that's another story.
What is a Medical Receptionist?
What Does a Medical Receptionist Do
There are certain skills that many medical receptionists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, detail oriented and technical skills.
How To Become a Medical Receptionist
If you're interested in becoming a medical receptionist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 22.4% of medical receptionists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.0% of medical receptionists have master's degrees. Even though some medical receptionists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Medical Receptionist Job Description
Medical Receptionist Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of office assistant you might progress to a role such as executive assistant eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title practice manager.
Average Salary for a Medical Receptionist
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Medical Receptionist
The role of a medical receptionist includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general medical receptionist responsibilities:
- Keeping abreast of reimbursement and billing procedures; accurately verifies information on audit journal; prepares bank deposits
- Welcome patients as they contact the center personally or by telephone,
- Registration greets and checks-in patients while updating personal information answer phones
There are several types of medical receptionist, including:
Receptionist
Role:
This is one of those jobs that comes with a lot of opportunities. In fact, there are receptionist positions across almost every industry so you definitely won't have a hard time finding a job in this field.
Typically, a receptionist needs a high school diploma. More specific training will be given once you have the job. Then, when you've got the swing of things, you'll be answering phones and helping guests like a pro.
- Average Salary: $30,571
- Degree: High School Diploma
Front Desk Receptionist
Role:
Since a lot of different industries require a front-desk receptionist, you can assume that there will never be a shortage of opportunity just waiting for you. It'll take you no time to find a job that you enjoy.
Typically, front desk receptionists are required to earn a high school diploma. Which means you won't have to spend a lot of your hard-earned cash on an education. As a bonus, no student loans so you can start saving for retirement early in the game.
- Average Salary: $31,050
- Degree: High School Diploma
Medical Records Clerk
Role:
They gather and organize information such as medical records, examination results, admission, and discharge documents. They make sure nurses and other personnel have the necessary forms in stock, they digitalize existing paperwork, and ensure the confidentiality of the files.
This is a full-time job that requires previous experience. Medical clerks have to be familiar with medical terminology, and keen attention to detail is a must. Just like in the case of any administrative position, the use of MS Office and other information management programs is a basic requirement.
- Average Salary: $32,491
- Degree: Associate Degree
States With The Most Medical Receptionist Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active medical receptionist jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where medical receptionists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Medical Receptionist Jobs By State
Top Skills For a Medical Receptionist
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 30.4% of medical receptionists listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Medical Receptionist Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Medical Receptionist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Medical Receptionist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Medical Receptionist Demographics
Medical Receptionist Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among medical receptionists, 94.8% of them are women, while 5.2% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among medical receptionists is White, which makes up 70.6% of all medical receptionists.
- The most common foreign language among medical receptionists is Spanish at 79.3%.
Online Courses For Medical Receptionist That You May Like
1. Patient Safety
Preventable patient harms, including medical errors and healthcare-associated complications, are a global public health threat. Moreover, patients frequently do not receive treatments and interventions known to improve their outcomes. These shortcomings typically result not from individual clinicians’ mistakes, but from systemic problems -- communication breakdowns, poor teamwork, and poorly designed care processes, to name a few.\n\nThe Patient Safety & Quality Leadership Specialization covers...
See More on Coursera2. PrEParing: PrEP for Providers and Patients
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) using the antiretroviral medication emtricitibine/tenofovir approved in countries around the world is a highly effective means of reducing transmission of HIV through sexual encounters and needle sharing. This Johns Hopkins University course PrEPares you with essential information, concepts and practical advice regarding PrEP from leaders in the field. A first of its kind learning opportunity, both providers and patients learn from the same experts through...
See More on Coursera3. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation
In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...
See More on CourseraBest States For a Medical Receptionist
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a medical receptionist. The best states for people in this position are Maine, Washington, California, and Alaska. Medical receptionists make the most in Maine with an average salary of $41,338. Whereas in Washington and California, they would average $40,575 and $38,320, respectively. While medical receptionists would only make an average of $36,910 in Alaska, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Maine
$41,338
Avg. Salary
2. Minnesota
$36,118
Avg. Salary
3. Washington
$40,575
Avg. Salary
How Do Medical Receptionist Rate Their Jobs?
Top Medical Receptionist Employers
Most Common Employers For Medical Receptionist
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayo Clinic | $37,068 | $17.82 | 177 |
| 2 | HMFPhysicians | $36,606 | $17.60 | 162 |
| 3 | The Family Health Centers of Asheville | $36,130 | $17.37 | 69 |
| 4 | Children's Medical Center | $35,043 | $16.85 | 61 |
| 5 | Oak Street Medical | $34,691 | $16.68 | 76 |
| 6 | Medical Record Associates | $34,454 | $16.56 | 92 |
| 7 | GI Associates | $34,262 | $16.47 | 91 |
| 8 | University Hospitals | $33,598 | $16.15 | 78 |
| 9 | Kaiser Permanente | $33,457 | $16.09 | 150 |
| 10 | Cleveland Clinic | $33,307 | $16.01 | 193 |
Becoming a Medical Receptionist FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Become A Medical Receptionist?
It typically takes two to four years to become a medical receptionist. Generally, this is the time it takes to gain the minimal education and necessary experience to fulfill the duties of this role.
How Much Does A Receptionist Make At A Doctor's Office?
A receptionist at a doctor's office makes a median annual salary of around $37,000 in a year. This role, often called a medical receptionist, has a range of hourly pay rates that goes from just under $12 up to $20.
Is Being A Medical Receptionist A Good Job?
Yes, being a medical receptionist is a good job. This position is fairly important to the everyday management of a hospital or doctor's office. A medical receptionist's job is to perform clerical and supportive work in a hospital unit, ensuring that everything runs efficiently and avoids delays.
What Qualifications Do You Need To Be A Medical Receptionist?
The qualifications to become a medical receptionist include a high school diploma and some experience and knowledge working in healthcare environments. It typically takes two to four years to become a medical receptionist.
What Skills Do You Need To Be A Medical Receptionist?
The skills a person needs to be a medical receptionist include communication and interpersonal skills. They also need to have a basic understanding of the healthcare field and terminology.