Level of study to become a medical secretary: training and skills

After going through the various aspects of the career of medical secretary, grâce à notre fiche métier secrétaire médicale, let's linger for the time of a fiche on the études that allow you to exercise this profession. 

Le métier de secrétaire médicale

What are the duties of a médical secretary?

The rôle of the secrétaire médicaleis essential to the smooth running of healthcare structures. She is generally responsible for welcoming patients, managing appointments, keeping medical records and coordinating the work of the various healthcare professionals present in the facility. In addition, she masters medical terminology, drafts administrative documents and manages communications with insurance companies or laboratories.

Skills required for this job

The diverse range of tasks carried out by the medical secretary requires great versatility. She must excel both in communicating with patients and in using the digital tools essential to administrative management. Her role requires a wide range of skills:

• Communication and interpersonal skills:at the heart of his responsibilities, communication is a fundamental pillar of the medical secretarial role. The latter must demonstrate attentive listening skills in order to understand patients' needs, spot emergencies and establish a bond of trust. Diplomacy and calm are essential to ease tensions and support patients through difficult times. What's more, she adapts her discourse according to her interlocutors – patients, doctors or other professionals – and takes care à to guarantee exemplary confidentiality. 
• Maîtrise des outils numériques : the digitalization of the medical sector requires a perfect mastery of IT tools and software specific to practice management. Whether organizing appointments, updating patient files or transmitting treatment forms, the medical secretary uses these technologies on a daily basis to simplify administrative tasks. She also familiarizes herself with new practices such as telemedicine, online consultation platforms and digital dictation systems for transcribing medical reports.
• Medical knowledge and terminology: although not a healthcare provider, the medical secretary must have a solid general knowledge of medicine. An understanding of technical terms, common abbreviations and medical specialties is essential for the efficient management of files, the transmission of information between professionals and the answering of patients' questions. Knowledge of care protocols, billing rules and the nomenclature of medical acts is also essential to ensure smooth administrative operations.

Discover another essential skill in our hospital medical secretarial hours sheet !

The level of education required to become a medical secretary

There is no compulsory university degree for becoming a medical secretary. On the other hand, structures often value the applications of those who have passed through dedicated training courses, such as those delivered by the Centre national de formation à distance (CNED), those in public or private lycées the Red Cross's secrétaire médico-social certificate. The latter is also open to holders of a brevet or CAP who can demonstrate professional experience.

These diplomas give access to the best secrétaire médicale job offers.

The outlook after training

With experience and enhanced skills, the medical secretary can look forward to a variety of career paths:

• Access to positions of responsibility : as she gains in expertise, a médicale secretary can progress to positions involving managerial responsibilities. These include positions such as reception manager, administrative manager or coordinator in a médicale structure.
• Opportunities for specialization: the medical secretary can choose to specialize in a specific field, such as radiology, surgery, cardiology or laboratory work. These specializations enable you to develop specific skills and gain access to technical or more sought-after positions.
• Diversity of working environments: the job of medical secretary is practiced in a multitude of settings: hospitals, clinics, private practices, care centers, or even laboratories. Each environment offers specific features and challenges.

In reality, although the routes to this job are clear and generally straightforward, the job of medical secretary is packed with missions, responsibilities and ways of working. It's perfect for those who want an agile, fast-paced career with great prospects for growth, both in terms of income and skills.

In line with this article, we recommend our secretarial salary sheet !