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Principal secretary vs department secretary

The differences between principal secretaries and department secretaries can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a principal secretary and a department secretary. Additionally, a department secretary has an average salary of $35,473, which is higher than the $33,699 average annual salary of a principal secretary.

The top three skills for a principal secretary include purchase orders, schedule appointments and office equipment. The most important skills for a department secretary are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Principal secretary vs department secretary overview

Principal SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Yearly salary$33,699$35,473
Hourly rate$16.20$17.05
Growth rate-8%-8%
Number of jobs46,20780,303
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age5050
Years of experience22

Principal secretary vs department secretary salary

Principal secretaries and department secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.

Principal SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Average salary$33,699$35,473
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $41,000Between $26,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CityMilpitas, CAOakland, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyEdina Public SchoolsBrigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industryManufacturingGovernment

Differences between principal secretary and department secretary education

There are a few differences between a principal secretary and a department secretary in terms of educational background:

Principal SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeWestern Carolina UniversityStanford University

Principal secretary vs department secretary demographics

Here are the differences between principal secretaries' and department secretaries' demographics:

Principal SecretaryDepartment Secretary
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 5.0% Female, 95.0%Male, 7.0% Female, 93.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between principal secretary and department secretary duties and responsibilities

Principal secretary example responsibilities.

  • Manage high volume of requests and correspondence from executives and colleagues, pharmaceutical representatives, patients and outside physicians.
  • Maintain compliance with HIPPA law.
  • Work closely with Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Maintain confidentiality laws of HIPAA and OSHA.
  • Create spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations for faculty meetings on behalf of the principal.
  • Prepare charts, vital sight, injections, EKG, phlebotomy, fill prescriptions and hospital admitting.
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Department secretary example responsibilities.

  • Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
  • Volunteer for ISO auditor duties to ensure ISO procedures are followed for certification.
  • Perform payroll functions, including maintaining timekeeping information and processing and submitting payroll.
  • Prepare materials for monthly board of directors meetings including PowerPoint presentations, agendas and minutes.
  • Complete all payroll documentation, enter all payroll documentation into computer program, and submit to payroll department.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations used for business development, organize files and develop spreadsheets, fax reports and scan documents.
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Principal secretary vs department secretary skills

Common principal secretary skills
  • Purchase Orders, 16%
  • Schedule Appointments, 13%
  • Office Equipment, 8%
  • Financial Reports, 6%
  • Word Processing, 6%
  • Administrative Tasks, 5%
Common department secretary skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Medical Terminology, 7%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Word Processing, 4%

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