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Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.

961,610 people do this job in the US. $45,930 a year.

now
87%

of the working time. Estimate.

Kinds of work
  • 91%
  • 7%
  • 1%
36%

Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.

Half the desk work within reach
Already

On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.

Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030

0%25%50%75%100%2027202820292030NowDesk work: 91% of the time
Chosen to Ceiling: the share
DateNow
NowEnd of 2030

What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .

At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.

How far this has come

With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 6%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 82%. Today's estimate: 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%2023202420252026GPT-4, March 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023), November 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4o, May 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (June 2024), June 2024: 0% within reacho1-preview, September 2024: 1% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (Oct 2024), October 2024: 1% within reacho1, December 2024: 3% within reachClaude 3.7 Sonnet, February 2025: 6% within reacho3, April 2025: 24% within reachGPT-5, August 2025: 32% within reachGemini 3 Pro, November 2025: 45% within reachClaude Opus 4.5, November 2025: 45% within reachGPT-5.2, December 2025: 53% within reachClaude Opus 4.6, February 2026: 55% within reachClaude Mythos Preview (early), April 2026: 82% within reachToday (estimate), September 2026: 87% within reach
Each step is a new best model measured by METR, four in five; the dashed end is today's estimate. Point at a dot for the model.

A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.

The tasks

Sorted by . 15 tasks from .

TaskKind
Perform bookkeeping duties, such as credits or collections, preparing and sending financial statements or bills, and keeping financial records.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 19%1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h87%Half by now
Operate office equipment, such as voice mail messaging systems, and use word processing, spreadsheet, or other software applications to prepare reports, invoices, financial statements, letters, case histories, or medical records.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 11%25 min13 min to 1.3 h100%Half by now
Complete insurance or other claim forms.Done daily by most who do it. 9%38 min13 min to 1.3 h98%Half by now
Maintain medical records, technical library, or correspondence files.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 9%33 min13 min to 1.3 h99%Half by now
Prepare correspondence or assist physicians or medical scientists with preparation of reports, speeches, articles, or conference proceedings.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task.8%1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h91%Half by now
Compile and record medical charts, reports, or correspondence, using typewriter or personal computer.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task.7%38 min17 min to 1.3 h100%Half by now
Interview patients to complete documents, case histories, or forms, such as intake or insurance forms.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 7%25 min13 min to 50 minStays with people
Schedule and confirm patient diagnostic appointments, surgeries, or medical consultations.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task.7%17 min8 min to 38 min100%Half by now
Transcribe recorded messages or practitioners' diagnoses or recommendations into patients' medical records.Done hourly or more by most who do it.5%29 min13 min to 1.1 h100%Half by now
Transmit correspondence or medical records by mail, e-mail, or fax.Done daily by most who do it. 4%13 min4 min to 25 min100%Half by now
Perform various clerical or administrative functions, such as ordering and maintaining an inventory of supplies.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 4%50 min17 min to 2.1 h91%Half by now
Schedule tests or procedures for patients, such as lab work or x-rays, based on physician orders.Done hourly or more by most who do it.4%17 min8 min to 33 min100%Half by now

Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.

Jobs that share skills with this one

From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.

Where this job works

The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).

Where the most of these jobs are

The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).