Earning a degree isn’t always required to become a medical office administrator (or administrative assistant), although applicants holding an associate degree may have an edge over those with only a certificate or no formal training at all.

Herzing’s diploma program in medical office administration, typically completed in as little as 1 year, is built to help you get the education you need to earn your first professional job in medical office administration.

Specific roles and responsibilities will vary by position. Medical office administrators and assistants typically perform a variety of clerical duties, including answering phones, scheduling appointments, processing & organizing patient records, bookkeeping & accounting tasks, and other customer support.

Work environment

Jobs in medical administration are most often found in an office environment within a healthcare facility. A typical work week for full-time employees is 40 hours, Monday–Friday with the possibility of paid overtime, depending on the employer.  Employers may additionally offer benefit packages which may include health insurance, paid vacation, and a retirement savings plan such as profit-sharing or 401(k). Some employers also have part-time opportunities available.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical secretaries (also regarded as “administrative assistants”) earn an average salary of $43,380 per year—$20.85 per hour.*

The BLS projects a 7% increase in employment from 2022-2032.

How much you can expect to make will depend largely on the precise responsibilities of the job, your level of education & experience, and the state in which you work. Because of the many duties, responsibilities and job titles in this field, pay can vary widely.

With an associate degree in surgical technology, you can expect to work in a hospital, outpatient care center, privately for a surgeon, or ambulatory surgical facility. Typically, surgical technologists work a regular 40-hour week, although you could be on call or work nights, weekends and holidays on a rotating basis.

As a graduate of our program, you will be prepared for an entry-level career as a surgical tech in hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities.

Complex math isn’t part of the day-to-day for the typical surgical technologist. Simple calculations or unit conversion may be required, but no further advanced math skills will be commonly needed.

There is a 3 credit hour general education requirement for mathematics as part of the Herzing surgical technology program.

Here is the primary general distinction:

• Sterile Processing Technicians are responsible for sterilizing equipment needed for medical procedures. Their duties are primarily outside of the operating room; however, their job function is critical to the operating room.
• Surgical Technologists are responsible for aseptic technique, understanding surgical procedures and instruments, maintaining the sterile field, passing instruments during the sequence of the procedure, as well as many other duties. They function as the masters of aseptic technique in the operating room.

Job titles, duties and responsibilities can vary between different healthcare institutions. Different states might have their own unique restrictions for who is qualified to handle what responsibilities. Some states require that the surgical technologist have a current certification for employment. Some surgical technologists handle the sterilization of equipment as well.

Earning your associate degree and becoming a certified surgical technologist is your ticket to becoming an indispensable member of a surgical team, handle many different types of tasks and become highly valuable to employers.

There are many unique job titles within surgical technology. Going back to school and earning your associate degree gives you further opportunity to climb the career ladder in the operating room. Potential job titles could include:

• Surgical Technologist
• Surgical Technician
• Scrub Tech
• Operating Room Technician
• Operating Room Assistant

Note: Becoming a “Surgical Assistant” requires additional education and is not within the surgical technology scope of practice. A surgical tech program does not offer surgical assistant training.

Healthcare institutions may have their own conventions for how positions are titled, the education/certification they require, and the specific roles and responsibilities assigned to each.

Earning your associate degree in surgical technology from Herzing University provides the education you need to thrive as a surgical technologist and carve your own unique career path in the OR.

Before an operation, surgical technologists help prepare the operating room by setting up surgical instruments and equipment, sterile drapes, and sterile solutions. They also get patients ready for surgery as well as pass instruments and other sterile supplies to surgeons and surgeon assistants during surgery.

Surgical technologists advance by specializing in a specific area of surgery, such as neurosurgery or open-heart surgery.

• Certified surgical technologists with additional specialized education or training also may act in the role of the surgical first assistant or circulator. The surgical first assistant, as defined by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), provides aid in exposure, hemostasis (controlling blood flow and stopping or preventing hemorrhage), and other technical functions under the surgeon’s direct supervision, assisting with a safe operation.
• A circulating technologist is the “unsterile” member of the surgical team who interviews the patient before surgery, prepares the patient, helps with anesthesia, obtains and opens packages for the “sterile” people to remove the sterile contents during the procedure, keeps a written account of the surgical procedure, and answers the surgeon’s questions about the patient during the surgery.
• Some surgical technologists manage central supply departments and sterile processing instrument departments in hospitals, work as private scrubs for surgeons, work in tissue retrieval and procurement, are employed as sales representatives for medical device manufacturers, teach and direct in surgical technology programs in colleges and universities, or take positions with insurance companies.

Get a preview of the career and walk through the day in the life of a surgical tech.