Dental and medical secretaries are like a personal secretary and clerk tothe dentists or physicians. They take down various notes from the doctor andtype them out for them, apart from that they look after the inflow of patients,file the patient’s medical records, payment bills, and do other odd jobs.

Following are some of the features of a qualified medical secretary:

A medical secretary has to have a comfort level with their doctor and anin-depth understanding of the various medical processes and terms used bythem.

They save the doctor’s time by giving them a short report of the presentmedical condition of the patient.

Arranging for appointments with the doctor is also one of the importantfunctions of a medical secretary.

They see to it that patients with serious medical ailments are able to havea quick appointment with the doctor, when attending such emergency cases; asmart secretary tactfully handles all the other patients.

A successful career as a medical secretary

Most of the dental or medical secretaries work in private clinics of themedical doctors or dentists. There are many who take jobs in largemultinational hospitals and state-of-art clinics. Some of these secretariesprefer to wok in dental laboratories or with medical drug dealers. If you wantto make a career in this field, then high school education is a must, apartfrom that some basic training with a qualified doctor or a secretarialbackground may help. Nowadays, people with good computer skills are given morepreference. There are vocational training courses offered by community collegesand institutes for a successful career as a medical or dental secretary. Thesecourses have duration of 1 to 2 years.

Job Opportunities and Salary

Many dentists, private doctors and hospitals often have vacancies for a jobas a medical secretary; you may also check the daily newspapers or online newsportals for such job opportunities. If you want to apply in a governmentsector, then there are preliminary examinations for securing a medicalsecretarial job post. Many medical and dental assistants work around 40 hrs ina week as per the schedule of their employer; many have to work during eveningtime and on Saturdays.

Earnings depend on the educational background, training experience andgeographical location. Medical and dental assistants earn a mediocre salary ofaround $27,00 or more annually. Other benefits like fully paid vacations, freehealth insurance and paid sick leave are also available in such careers.