Medical secretary
Make sure a doctor's office runs smoothly so patients get the best service possible.
About the job
A day in the life – Medical secretary
What it's like
You would make sure a doctor’s office runs smoothly so patients get the best service possible.
You would make appointments, deal with patients’ queries and work closely with health professionals.
You could work for a:
Consultant in a hospital
Director or chief executive of an NHS trust
GP surgery
Private practice
University or research department
Pharmaceutical company
You would:
Handle enquiries from patients
Organise a consultant's or director’s diary
Make travel arrangements
Manage a consultant's waiting list
Update patient records
Send samples for medical testing
Make sure that test results are filed with the right patient notes
Type patient letters and clinical reports
Manage a filing system
Oversee an office budget.
You might lead a team of secretaries. You would manage their workload and make sure they had all the equipment they needed to do their job.
You can see more about this role in the National Health Service on the Medical Secretary/personal assistant page of the NHS Careers website.
Hours
In a full-time job you would usually work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Part-time work and job sharing are often available.
Environment
You would work in an office, but in some jobs you could also spend some time at a reception desk. As this is a responsible role where you are working closely with health professionals and the general public, you will be expected to have a smart and professional appearance.
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Healthcare
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- administrative support
- medical terminology
- secretarial experience
- medical surgical nursing
- dictation
- touch typing
- hospital admissions
- audio transcription
- written composition
- speech recognition
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- negotiating
- motivating others
- managing resources
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- working with numbers
- problem solving
- written communication
- verbal communication
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Administration and Information Technology
English
Information and Communications Technology - ICT
Qualifications at SCQF levels 4 to 5 or a work-based qualification such as a Scottish Vocational Qualification in Administration (SVQ level 2/3).
You could do an Modern Apprenticeship in Business and Administration.
A course in administration or business may be helpful at National Certificate (SCQF level 4), National Qualification (SCQF level 4) or Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7).
A typing or word processing qualification is useful and sometimes essential.
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