Voluntary Certifications for a medical Secretary

Medical secretaries are not required to be licensed. The most important thing is having the skills – job ads often spell these out in great detail. Employers may specify that you type 50 words a minute or that you can handle six telephone lines. They may also specify familiarity with computer programs like Excel. Having good people skills can also go a long way toward helping you build your career.

There are some voluntary certifications that you can pursue to demonstrate your expertise. These are designed for medical secretaries at the level of executive secretary – in other words, for those with skills beyond the basics. You’ll need to know how to maintain various record systems and create operating reports. You can pursue Certified Medical Administrative Assistant credentialing through the National Healthcareers Association (NHA) or Medical Administrative Specialist credentialing through the American Medical Technologists (AMT). The Medical Administrative Specialist certification exam will also ask that you understand the basics of coding. Look to the NHA and AMT websites for candidate guidelines.

If specialty certification isn’t for you, you can pursue certification as an executive secretary, or Certified Administrative Professional (CAP), through the International Association of Administrative Professionals. There are other certifications available, but this is something of a gold standard. It’s helpful to maintain ties with professional organizations even if you’re not ready to seek certification. It’s also helpful to do an online job search well in advance so that you know what’s most valued in your own geographic locale.