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More info
- Provide administration and office support to medical practitioners and services
- You'll need to be highly organised and able to work with confidential information
- Progress to manage a team of administrators or into managing a GP practice
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Handling questions from patients, staff and consultants
- Organising a doctor's diary, booking consulting rooms and meetings
- Making travel arrangements
- Managing a waiting list of patients
- Updating patient records and dealing with confidential information
- Sending samples for medical testing and recording the results
- Typing letters, clinical reports and minutes of meetings and filing
- Monitoring an office budget and dealing with invoices
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
Work for a hospital doctor, NHS manager, hospital consultant or a GP. You could work in the NHS or for a private company.
You'll need
To be a medical secretary, you'll need administration and customer service skills, thoroughness and attention to detail, the ability to work well with others, patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, sensitivity and understanding, and excellent verbal communication.
Direct application is possible, but employers will expect some GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English. A typing or word processing qualification like an RSA certificate might be useful, and some organisations may also want you to have knowledge of medical terminology.
You could do a college course, such as a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Medical Administration.
You could get into this job through a business administrator advanced apprenticeship.
If you already work in a healthcare setting, such as a receptionist or clerical assistant, you could take a relevant qualification while you're working.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could manage a team of secretaries in a large organisation. With further training, you could become an administration manager, office manager or GP practice manager. You could also move into roles in finance or HR.