Medical receptionist vs dental receptionist

The differences between medical receptionists and dental receptionists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical receptionist and a dental receptionist. Additionally, a dental receptionist has an average salary of $34,359, which is higher than the $31,960 average annual salary of a medical receptionist.

The top three skills for a medical receptionist include patients, customer service and check-in. The most important skills for a dental receptionist are patients, customer service, and phone calls.

Medical receptionist vs dental receptionist overview

	Medical Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Yearly salary	$31,960	$34,359
Hourly rate	$15.37	$16.52
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	118,048	66,076
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	49	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does a medical receptionist do?

Medical receptionists are responsible for manning the front desk at a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. They manage schedules and appointments in the clinic or hospital. They help patients to their respective appointments. They also assist doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners by ensuring that the schedule for the day is being followed. They are also in charge of assisting visitors by directing them wherever they would need to go. Medical receptionists also answer inquiries by patients or visitors. Medical knowledge, great customer service skills, and a friendly attitude are needed.

What does a dental receptionist do?

A dental receptionist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support dental office operations and ensure that the patients receive the highest quality care services. Dental receptionists manage and schedule the patients' appointments, determine the availability of the dentist, process dental reports and service payments, and ensure the adequacy of dental inventories. They also organize the database system by updating patients' information, sending referrals to medical specialists, pulling-up patient charts, and responding to the patients' dental inquiries and concerns.

Medical receptionist vs dental receptionist salary

Medical receptionists and dental receptionists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Average salary	$31,960	$34,359
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Bellingham, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Alaska
Best paying company	CENTER FOR SIGHT	University of Southern California
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical receptionist and dental receptionist education

There are a few differences between a medical receptionist and a dental receptionist in terms of educational background:

	Medical Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	-	-

Medical receptionist vs dental receptionist demographics

Here are the differences between medical receptionists' and dental receptionists' demographics:

	Medical Receptionist	Dental Receptionist
Average age	49	42
Gender ratio	Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8%	Male, 4.9% Female, 95.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 27.0% Asian, 5.5% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between medical receptionist and dental receptionist duties and responsibilities

Medical receptionist example responsibilities.

Conduct analysis to address long wait times which lead to faster triage, shorter wait times.
Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Greet and check-in patients, including obtaining accurate patient demographic information, patient registration, and checking insurance eligibility.
Learned and operate chiropractic equipment (decompression; Leander) & x-rays; enabling Dr to have more time for patients.
Resolve concerns of terminally ill patients with compassion and professionalism.
Identify patients' specific scheduling requirements while demonstrating care and compassion via telephone.

Dental receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage an adjoining veterinary supply shop that sell medications, animal food and pet equipment.
Perform administrative and receptionist duties by managing patient records while staying in compliance with HIPAA and JCAHO.
Manage Eaglesoft system thereby maximizing and balancing the calendar of appointments to drive practice revenue while maintaining optimal practice productivity.
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Register new patients according to office protocol using EagleSoft.
Experience in PPO and some HMO insurances.

Medical receptionist vs dental receptionist skills

Common medical receptionist skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 9%
Check-In, 6%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Front Desk, 4%

Common dental receptionist skills

Patients, 35%
Customer Service, 17%
Phone Calls, 10%
Patient Accounts, 8%
Front Desk, 3%
HMO, 3%

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Medical Receptionist
Medical Receptionist vs Dental Receptionist

Updated January 8, 2025

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