Surgical schedulers, also called surgical coordinators, assist healthcare professionals by scheduling appointments and performing other important clerical duties. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical secretaries (including surgical schedulers) earned an average salary of $33,530 per year, and a median hourly wage of $15.50 per hour.
Surgical Schedule Job Duties
The most common job duties for a surgical scheduler include scheduling surgeries and other important appointments. However, these individuals also perform many other tasks, depending on the healthcare facility.
Below are some common tasks that surgery schedulers perform.
- Answer telephone calls and common questions about surgical times, appointments, and instructions
- Assist customers with documentation and sign-in
- File paperwork
- Submit billing or insurance claims
- Perform basic bookkeeping duties
Surgical Scheduler Education Requirements
In most cases, you only need a high school diploma or GED to become a surgical schedule or medical secretary. However, many employers prefer that job candidates possess clerical, administrative, or secretarial experience.
There are no licensing or certification requirements to become a surgical scheduler. However, you can always seek a certification if you want to increase your marketability. The International Association of Administrative Professionals offers the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification. Candidates must have a minimum of 2 to 4 years of administrative work experience, depending on their level of education, and pass an examination.
Some of the common skills you’ll need to work in surgery scheduling include the following:
- Typing skills
- Familiarity with technology such as computers, scheduling or billing software, and telephones with multiple lines (on-the-j0b training will be provided to help you with software training).
- Customer service skills
- Multitasking skills
- Organizational skills
- Familiarity with medical terminology or medical records or coding
What do Surgical Schedulers Like or Dislike about their Jobs?
Every job has its good points and its bad points. Working as a surgical scheduler or medical secretary is no different.
Here’s what most surgical coordinators like about their job:
- Most like the hours. If you work in a doctor’s office, you’ll have 9-5 hours.
- They enjoy working with people.
- They feel as if it is a relatively stable job.
Here’s what many surgical schedulers dislike about their job:
- They feel that they are often understaffed.
- It can be stressful dealing with phone calls, paperwork, and patients–all at the same time.
- Surgeries can be rescheduled at the last minute, which can be frustrating. In addition, some patients won’t follow the surgical instructions, which can be frustrating.
Surgical Coordinator Job Outlook
Overall employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to grow 3 percent from 2014 to 2024, slower than the average for all occupations. However, there were 516,050 medical secretaries in the workforce as of 2014. While this job isn’t growing rapidly, there are opportunities for this career.
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment | Employment RSE |
Mean hourly wage |
Mean annual wage |
Wage RSE |
| 516,050 | 0.8 % | $16.12 | $33,530 | 0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% (Median) |
75% | 90% |
| Hourly Wage | $10.71 | $12.78 | $15.50 | $18.56 | $22.74 |
| Annual Wage | $22,270 | $26,580 | $32,240 | $38,600 | $47,300 |
Industries with the highest levels of employment for medical secretaries:
| Industry | Employment | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Offices of Physicians | 181,740 | 7.40 | $15.55 | $32,340 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 128,230 | 2.44 | $16.25 | $33,800 |
| Offices of Dentists | 78,720 | 8.93 | $18.23 | $37,920 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | 45,810 | 5.92 | $14.35 | $29,850 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 19,420 | 2.77 | $15.73 | $32,710 |
Top paying industries for medical secretaries:
| Industry | Employment | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Junior Colleges | 30 | n/a | $19.70 | $40,980 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 440 | 0.07 | $19.68 | $40,930 |
| Consumer Goods Rental | n/a | n/a | $18.91 | $39,320 |
| State Government (OES Designation) | 210 | 0.01 | $18.33 | $38,130 |
| Offices of Dentists | 78,720 | 8.93 | $18.23 | $37,920 |
Top paying states for this occupation:
| State | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Washington | 10,610 | 3.66 | 0.96 | $19.57 | $40,700 |
| New Jersey | 13,220 | 3.42 | 0.89 | $19.16 | $39,850 |
| Massachusetts | 20,880 | 6.28 | 1.65 | $19.10 | $39,730 |
| Minnesota | 8,590 | 3.15 | 0.82 | $18.89 | $39,290 |
| Connecticut | 4,380 | 2.66 | 0.70 | $18.54 | $38,560 |
Lowest paying states for surgical schedulers:
| State | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Puerto Rico | $10.56 | $21,960 |
| Guam | $10.76 | $22,380 |
| West Virginia | $13.54 | $28,160 |
| Louisiana | $13.69 | $28,480 |
| Kentucky | $13.86 | $28,820 |
| Oklahoma | $13.94 | $29,000 |
| Arkansas | $14.02 | $29,160 |
Surgical Scheduler Salary for all 50 States:
| State | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Alabama | $14.92 | $31,020 |
| Alaska | $18.02 | $37,480 |
| Arizona | $14.73 | $30,630 |
| Arkansas | $14.02 | $29,160 |
| California | $18.20 | $37,850 |
| Colorado | $16.81 | $34,970 |
| Connecticut | $18.54 | $38,560 |
| Delaware | $16.16 | $33,620 |
| District of Columbia | $18.33 | $38,130 |
| Florida | $14.59 | $30,340 |
| Georgia | $15.24 | $31,690 |
| Guam | $10.76 | $22,380 |
| Hawaii | $17.22 | $35,820 |
| Idaho | $14.69 | $30,560 |
| Illinois | $16.50 | $34,320 |
| Indiana | $15.16 | $31,530 |
| Iowa | $15.28 | $31,780 |
| Kansas | $14.89 | $30,980 |
| Kentucky | $13.86 | $28,820 |
| Louisiana | $13.69 | $28,480 |
| Maine | $15.85 | $32,960 |
| Maryland | $16.64 | $34,610 |
| Massachusetts | $19.10 | $39,730 |
| Michigan | $14.91 | $31,000 |
| Minnesota | $18.89 | $39,290 |
| Mississippi | $14.34 | $29,830 |
| Missouri | $15.11 | $31,420 |
| Montana | $14.88 | $30,950 |
| Nebraska | $15.55 | $32,350 |
| Nevada | $16.92 | $35,190 |
| New Hampshire | $16.89 | $35,140 |
| New Jersey | $19.16 | $39,850 |
| New Mexico | $14.90 | $30,990 |
| New York | $18.20 | $37,850 |
| North Carolina | $14.72 | $30,620 |
| North Dakota | $15.07 | $31,340 |
| Ohio | $14.70 | $30,590 |
| Oklahoma | $13.94 | $29,000 |
| Oregon | $17.08 | $35,530 |
| Pennsylvania | $15.68 | $32,610 |
| Puerto Rico | $10.56 | $21,960 |
| Rhode Island | $17.76 | $36,940 |
| South Carolina | $15.08 | $31,360 |
| South Dakota | $17.24 | $35,850 |
| Tennessee | $14.12 | $29,370 |
| Texas | $14.68 | $30,530 |
| Utah | $14.92 | $31,040 |
| Vermont | $18.08 | $37,610 |
| Virgin Islands | $18.24 | $37,930 |
| Virginia | $16.22 | $33,730 |
| Washington | $19.57 | $40,700 |
| West Virginia | $13.54 | $28,160 |
| Wisconsin | $16.03 | $33,340 |
| Wyoming | $15.08 | $31,370 |
References:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Medical Secretaries on the Internet at bls.gov.