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Medical Reception/Receptionist

Types of Degrees Medical Reception/Receptionist Majors Are Earning

Those studying Medical Reception/Receptionist can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	122
Master’s Degree	332

What Medical Reception/Receptionist Majors Need to Know

Programs in Medical Reception/Receptionist emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Medical Reception/Receptionist emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Medical Reception/Receptionist program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Medical Reception/Receptionist careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Reception/Receptionist professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Exchange	Electronic mail software	—
Data entry software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Henry Schein Dentrix	Medical software	✓
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates include:

• Typists Supervisor
• Office Manager
• Dispatch Manager
• Customer Manager
• Warranty Manager
• Bookkeeping Clerks Supervisor
• Weigh Boss
• Schedule Supervisor
• Medical Billing Supervisor
• Accounts Receivable Manager
• Files Supervisor
• Claims Adjuster Supervisor
• Accounting Manager
• Customer Service Administrator
• Telephone Order Supervisor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	32.8%
Bachelor’s degree	27.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	16.1%
Some college courses	12.6%
Postsecondary certificate	8.2%
Less than a high school diploma	2.1%
Master’s degree	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Reception/Receptionist?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 91.4% of Medical Reception/Receptionist degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	771	91.4%
Men	73	8.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	280	33.2%
Asian	54	6.4%
Hispanic or Latino	234	27.7%
Black or African American	212	25.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.5%
Two or More Races	30	3.6%
Race Unknown	21	2.5%
International Students	3	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Reception/Receptionist Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,041
4 years	$36,054
5 years	$40,847

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,847 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Medical Reception/Receptionist Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Medical Reception/Receptionist graduates earn a median of $36,054 four years after completion — about 5% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Health and Medical Administrative Services	51.07
Clinical Research Coordinator	51.0719
Disease Registry Data Management	51.0721
Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other	51.0799
Health Information/Medical Records Administration/Administrator	51.0706
Health Information/Medical Records Technology/Technician	51.0707
Health Unit Coordinator/Ward Clerk	51.0703
Health Unit Manager/Ward Supervisor	51.0704
Health/Health Care Administration/Management	51.0701
Health/Medical Claims Examiner	51.0715
Healthcare Information Privacy Assurance and Security	51.0723
Healthcare Innovation	51.0722

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.