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- Medical Receptionist: Tasks, Skills, Salary, and How to Get Started
Medical Receptionist: Tasks, Skills, Salary, and How to Get StartedWritten by Coursera Staff • Updated on Sep 11, 2025Share
Explore the kinds of settings in which medical receptionists work, their typical day-to-day responsibilities, and what you'll need to get started in this important role.
Key takeaways
- Medical receptionists are administrative professionals who are the first point of contact in a health care setting.
- This may be an ideal role if you're interested in the growing health care field but don't want a clinical position.
- After gaining experience as a medical receptionist, you can advance to become a medical office manager and earn a higher salary.
Learn more about what a medical receptionist does, the skills you'll need to be successful in this role, and how to get started. Afterward, develop your knowledge and abilities with the Johns Hopkins Medical Office Manager Professional Certificate.
Johns Hopkins Medical Office Manager
professional certificate
Beginner level
· 6 month(s)
Skills you'll build:
Care Management, Patient Safety, Practice Management, Performance Review, Revenue Cycle Management, Medical Billing, Patient Registration, Medical Privacy, ICD Coding (ICD-9/ICD-10), Medical Billing and Coding, Data Analysis, Medical Management, Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA) Compliance, Data Management, Denial Management, Change Management, Claims Processing, Medical Terminology, Organizational Change, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Risk Analysis, Health Systems, Project Management, Health Care Procedure and Regulation, Safety Assurance, Healthcare Project Management, Accident Prevention, Health Policy, Risk Management, Strategic Leadership, Managed Care, Performance Improvement, CPT Coding, Medical Coding, Insurance Policies, Insurance, Registration, Revenue Management, Payment Processing and Collection, Billing, Employee Engagement, Human Resource Policies, Diversity and Inclusion, Recruitment Strategies, Performance Management, Recruitment, Employee Performance Management, Interviewing Skills, Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, Culture Transformation, Performance Appraisal, Human Resource Management, Organizational Leadership, Drive Engagement, Talent Recruitment, Smart Goals, Health Care, Stakeholder Analysis, Urgent Care, Management Training And Development, Healthcare Industry Knowledge, Human Resources, Health Care Administration, Primary Care, Care Coordination, Financial Management, Hospital Medicine, Telehealth, Regulatory Compliance, Preventative Care, Staff Management, Patient Flow, Budgeting, Public Health and Disease Prevention, Case Management, Public Health, Hospital Experience, Patient Coordination, Operating Budget, Nursing and Patient Care, Data Integrity, Health Information Management, Electronic Medical Record, Clinical Documentation, Data Entry, Data Governance, Clinic Management Systems, Health Information Management and Medical Records, Data Maintenance, Medical Records, Health Informatics, Personally Identifiable Information, Data Quality, Electronic Medical Record System, Data-Driven Decision-Making
4.7
(415 ratings)
What is a medical receptionist?
Medical receptionists are administrators who serve as the first point of contact in a health care setting, such as a doctor's office, hospital, or other medical facility. They're often responsible for greeting patients and ensuring that offices, clinics, or hospital departments run smoothly and efficiently.
Becoming a medical receptionist can be a good career move for someone who is organized, enjoys interacting with people, and is familiar with using software programs. With experience and training, medical receptionists can advance to become a medical office manager, or with more clinical development, a lab tech or medical assistant.
Where do medical receptionists work?
Medical receptionists can work in the following locations:
- Doctors’ or physicians’ offices
- Outpatient care centers
- General hospitals
- Nonprofit organizations (grantmaking or fundraising)
- Insurance companies
- Scientific research facilities
Salary and job outlook
Medical receptionists earn a median total pay of $44,000 per year, according to Glassdoor [1]. The type of medical facility where you work, the amount of experience you have, and your geographic location may affect how much you can earn in this role.
Jobs in the health care industry are expected to add 1.9 million jobs every year between 2023 and 2033 [2]. That includes medical receptionists, who play an important role in a medical facility's operations.
What are the duties of a medical receptionist?
The day-to-day work of a medical receptionist will depend on where they work, but this role largely balances administrative responsibilities with customer service. A medical receptionist who works in a hospital will have different responsibilities than someone who works in a local doctor's office.
Typically, your work will involve greeting patients, entering data, answering phones, and doing clerical work, such as filing or correspondence. Throughout the day, you may interact with patients, their loved ones, and others who call or visit the office, like salespeople, vendors, and insurance companies.
Medical receptionist tasks can include:
- Greeting patients and their loved ones when they come for appointments
- Answering phone calls and emails from patients
- Maintaining an office schedule for other staff members
- Filing medical records and other documents
- Keeping the front desk or office organized and running smoothly
- Scheduling appointments and follow-ups for patients
- Calling patients to remind them of their appointments
- Using a computer, medical office software, and other technology to keep information organized and up-to-date
- Processing payments from patients
- Assisting patients with filling out forms and answering their questions
- Transcribing notes from doctors
- Keeping the waiting and reception areas clean and inviting
- Contacting insurance companies
- Maintaining a working relationship with the medical receptionists at other medical offices or departments
Pay: ₹15,000.00 - ₹25,000.00 per month
Work Location: In person
