# Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

US SOC code 43-6013. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/43-6013

Also called: Medical secretary, Medical administrative assistant, Healthcare administrative assistant, Medical office assistant, Patient services representative.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **961,610** US medical secretaries and administrative assistants, with median pay of **$45,930** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml) of **45,000** from 1950, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Digital patient intake and revenue cycle AI, 2015 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-6013&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **61.1%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1900
- Latest US employment: 961,610 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $45,930 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [12]
- Outlook: +4.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [33]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 13112)
  - Employment, 2020: 33,655. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [8]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 13112 Medical administrative assistants, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$45,600. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [16]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 13112 Medical administrative assistants, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1950 | 45,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [1] |
| 1956 | n/a | $2,900 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [9] |
| 1966 | 100,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., National Archives [2] |
| 1978 | 200,000 (estimate) | $9,000 (estimate) | Est., Mobius MD / AHDI historical record (employment) [3]; Est., FRASER / St. Louis Fed (pay) [10] |
| 2000 | 283,150 | $23,430 | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2003 | 349,370 | $26,000 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 360,850 | $26,540 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 381,020 | $27,320 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 394,330 | $28,090 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 424,670 | $28,950 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 454,500 | $29,680 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 469,740 | $30,190 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 494,650 | $30,530 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 502,850 | $31,060 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 509,640 | $31,350 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 512,970 | $31,890 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 516,050 | $32,240 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 530,360 | $33,040 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 556,820 | $33,730 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 576,520 | $34,610 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 585,410 | $35,760 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 604,780 | $36,580 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 597,100 | $37,350 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 656,640 | $37,450 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 682,630 | $38,500 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 749,500 | $40,640 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 830,760 | $44,640 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 961,610 | $45,930 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (99)

### Employment series

1. [IPUMS USA -- Occupation and Industry Codes (1950 Census classification); physician office staffing ratio cross-referenced with AMA data](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
2. [National Archives -- Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965): context for billing and documentation administrative demand](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/medicare-and-medicaid-act), National Archives
3. [Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) -- history of AAMT founding 1978; profession scale at establishment](https://www.mobius.md/blog/medical-transcription-history), Mobius MD / AHDI historical record
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

9. [University of Missouri Libraries -- "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959" (BLS historical bulletin context for clerical wages)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
10. [FRASER / St. Louis Fed -- BLS Industry Wage Survey archive (health services clerical workers, 1970s); wage structure cross-reference](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/industry-wage-surveys-bulletin-1950-2000), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis / FRASER
11. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
12. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
13. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
14. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
15. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
16. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

17. [Mobius MD -- "Medical transcription: a brief history" (typewriter and shorthand era in medical offices)](https://www.mobius.md/blog/medical-transcription-history), Mobius MD
18. [Wikipedia -- "Typewriter": feminization of clerical work; by 1900 census, 94.9% of stenographers and typists were women](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter), Wikipedia
19. [Dictaphone Healthcare Solutions -- company history (Dictet 1957, physician and attorney market)](https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/26/Dictaphone-Healthcare-Solutions.html), Reference for Business / Dictaphone historical record
20. [Vital Health Service -- "History and Evolution of Medical Transcription Services" (1950s-1980s dictation era)](https://vitalhealthservice.com/history-and-evolution-of-medical-transcription-services/), Vital Health Service
21. [National Archives -- Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965): documentation and billing context](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/medicare-and-medicaid-act), National Archives
22. [CMS -- Documentation Guidelines for E/M Services (Medicare billing documentation requirements history)](https://codingintel.com/cms-update-on-medical-record-documentation-for-em-services/), CMS / Coding Intel
23. [Fast Chart -- "The Evolution of Medical Transcription: Past, Present, and Future" (word processing and practice management software era)](https://fastchart.com/news/the-evolution-of-medical-transcription/), Fast Chart
24. [HIPAA Journal -- "What is the HITECH Act? 2026 Update" (HIPAA and HITECH compliance framework history)](https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-is-the-hitech-act/), HIPAA Journal
25. [AMA Journal of Ethics -- "The HITECH Act: An Overview" (HIPAA and HITECH as administrative compliance drivers)](https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/hitech-act-overview/2011-03), American Medical Association / Journal of Ethics
26. [Brookings Institution -- "Three graphs that show the impact of HITECH on Electronic Health Record Adoption"](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/three-graphs-that-show-the-impact-of-hitech-on-electronic-health-record-adoption/), Brookings Institution
27. [NCBI Bookshelf -- "Physician Adoption of EHR Technology to Meet Meaningful Use Objectives: 2009-2012"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK612936/), NCBI / Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
28. [Phreesia -- patient check-in platform: 85% self-check-in rate, 5+ minutes staff time saved per visit](https://www.phreesia.com/patient-check-in/), Phreesia
29. [Keragon -- "AI in Healthcare Administration: Full Guide for 2026" (RCM AI and front-desk automation)](https://www.keragon.com/blog/ai-in-healthcare-administration), Keragon
30. [TechTarget -- "Epic's Ask Emmie offers EHR-backed AI chatbot option for patients" (48% billing message reduction, Aug 2025)](https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/feature/Epics-Ask-Emmie-offers-EHR-backed-AI-chatbot-option-for-patients), TechTarget
31. [ScienceDirect -- "Deploying ambient clinical intelligence: documentation burden and burnout" (Nuance DAX Copilot, 2025)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2514664525002292), ScienceDirect / Elsevier
32. [HealthTech Magazine -- "AI in Healthcare Administration: A Complete Overview" (Jan 2026)](https://healthtechmagazine.net/article/2026/01/ai-healthcare-administration-complete-overview-perfcon), HealthTech Magazine

### Forecasts and exposure studies

33. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 43-6013 Medical secretaries and administrative assistants (2025: 979.0 thousand; 2035: 1,026.1 thousand; +4.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-6013&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
34. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 43-6013.00, human-rated β 0.611)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

35. [PMC / CMAJ -- "The Hospital Secretary" (1909)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5202232/), PubMed Central / Canadian Medical Association Journal
36. [Reference for Business / Dictaphone Healthcare Solutions -- company history and Dictet product (1957)](https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/26/Dictaphone-Healthcare-Solutions.html), Reference for Business
37. [National Archives -- Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965)](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/medicare-and-medicaid-act), National Archives
38. [AHDI / Mobius MD -- history of AAMT founding (1978) and AHDI rebrand (2007)](https://www.mobius.md/blog/medical-transcription-history), Mobius MD / AHDI
39. [HIPAA Journal -- HIPAA history and compliance framework (1996 enactment through 2003-2005 rule implementation)](https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-is-the-hitech-act/), HIPAA Journal
40. [Brookings Institution -- "Three graphs that show the impact of HITECH on Electronic Health Record Adoption"](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/three-graphs-that-show-the-impact-of-hitech-on-electronic-health-record-adoption/), Brookings Institution
41. [TechTarget -- "Epic's Ask Emmie offers EHR-backed AI chatbot for patients" (August 2025); ScienceDirect -- Nuance DAX Copilot clinical deployment study (2025)](https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/feature/Epics-Ask-Emmie-offers-EHR-backed-AI-chatbot-option-for-patients), TechTarget

### Predecessors & successors

42. [Wikipedia -- "Typewriter": feminization of clerical work; by 1900 census, 94.9% of stenographers and typists were women](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter), Wikipedia
43. [AHDI (formerly AAMT) -- history of medical transcription profession (founded 1978)](https://www.mobius.md/blog/medical-transcription-history), Mobius MD / AHDI

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6013.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-6013.00), accessed 2026-06-03
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (43-6013) (national flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), accessed 2026-10-07
- [BLS OOH — Secretaries and Administrative Assistants (2024-34 projections)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/secretaries-and-administrative-assistants.htm), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-03
- [HealthTech Magazine — AI in Healthcare Administration: A Complete Overview (Jan 2026)](https://healthtechmagazine.net/article/2026/01/ai-healthcare-administration-complete-overview-perfcon), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Keragon — AI in Healthcare Administration: Full Guide for 2026](https://www.keragon.com/blog/ai-in-healthcare-administration), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Epic — Ask Emmie AI chatbot: 48% reduction in billing messages (TechTarget, Aug 2025)](https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/feature/Epics-Ask-Emmie-offers-EHR-backed-AI-chatbot-option-for-patients), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Phreesia — 85% patient self-check-in rate, 5+ minutes staff time saved per visit](https://www.phreesia.com/patient-check-in/), accessed 2026-06-03
- [AJMC — Survey: AI in prior authorization, clinician confidence vs. AMA data (2025)](https://www.ajmc.com/view/cohere-health-findings-on-ai-in-prior-authorization-conflict-with-ama-data), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Medical Economics — Where AI actually helps in billing and revenue cycle management](https://www.medicaleconomics.com/view/where-artificial-intelligence-actually-helps-in-medical-billing-and-revenue-cycle-management-and-where-it-doesn-t), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Nuance DAX Copilot — Clinical documentation impact, ScienceDirect (2025)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2514664525002292), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Fierce Healthcare — AI speeds up prior auth, coding while driving higher costs (PHTI report)](https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/ai-speeding-prior-authorizations-while-driving-higher-costs-health-systems), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Abridge — Best in KLAS Ambient AI 2025 and 2026 (patientnotes.ai)](https://patientnotes.ai/resources/best-ai-scribes), accessed 2026-06-03

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.