A unit secretary is a person who normally works in a medical setting and helps assist the office staff with administrative duties such as filing paperwork, making copies and organizing medical orders. He or she might also serve as a receptionist by answering incoming phone calls and taking messages. If you want to become a unit secretary, you should obtain a high school diploma or an equivalent certification. Although you can obtain on-the-job training for this position, you should try to obtain a certificate or an associate’s degree in a secretary program that provides specific training for unit secretaries or medical office secretaries.
To become a unit secretary, you should first obtain a high school diploma. You might obtain a job as a unit secretary after graduating from high school, so it would be wise to take courses in high school that will help prepare for this position. Courses in computer skills, typing and language, for example, can provide you with the basic knowledge that you will need to get started. While in high school, you should try to obtain part-time work as an office or medical assistant to gain additional experience.
In order to better your chances of reaching your goal to become a unit secretary, you should obtain a certificate or an associate’s degree. These are normally offered at community colleges, vocational schools or through online degree programs. The average length of these programs is one to two years. As a student in this program, you could take courses in medical terminology, communication, medical billing and medical transcription. Some programs offer hospital or medical clinic internships to their students to allow them to gain hands-on experience.
Many unit secretaries find employment by working in medical facilities such as hospitals or medical clinics. If you decide to work in a hospital setting, you might be required to work various shifts, because hospitals are open on a continuous basis. Other types of employers that hire unit secretaries are medical insurance companies, law offices and private medical research companies. Although your job duties might differ based on your employer’s needs, your duties could involve typing medical correspondences, filing paperwork and assisting the office staff as needed.
After you become a unit secretary, you should expect to receive additional on-the-job training. Each company might have its own set of medical and office procedures to follow. After gaining some experience, many unit secretaries move into upper-level roles to become office managers or lead unit secretaries.
