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The differences between schedule clerks and 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 schedule clerk and a secretary. Additionally, a secretary has an average salary of $36,442, which is higher than the $31,818 average annual salary of a schedule clerk.
The top three skills for a schedule clerk include patients, medical terminology and patient care. The most important skills for a secretary are customer service, telephone calls, and payroll.
| Schedule Clerk | Secretary | |
| Yearly salary | $31,818 | $36,442 |
| Hourly rate | $15.30 | $17.52 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 112,225 | 69,315 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Schedule clerks assist the administrative staff in scheduling work for the staff. They schedule and organize clerical activities in a facility and manage appointments of patients and doctors. These clerks are tasked to inform patients about financial assistance opportunities, ensure compliance with corporate standards in clerical scheduling tasks, and greet patients and guests. They may provide medical records information by answering the request of patients, law firms, and government agencies. Additionally, they implement plans to communicate on patient changes for converting paper medical records to electronic medical records.
Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.
Schedule clerks and secretaries have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Schedule Clerk | Secretary | |
| Average salary | $31,818 | $36,442 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $26,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a schedule clerk and a secretary in terms of educational background:
| Schedule Clerk | Secretary | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between schedule clerks' and secretaries' demographics:
| Schedule Clerk | Secretary | |
| Average age | 47 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.4% Female, 86.6% | Male, 10.1% Female, 89.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |