Medical Administrative Assistant in Canada: Duties, Training, Salary and Career Outlook

Medical administrative assistants help healthcare offices run smoothly. They coordinate appointments, maintain records, prepare documents, support billing and communicate with patients and clinical teams. For someone who wants to work in healthcare without providing direct clinical care, this can be a practical career path with opportunities in clinics, hospitals and other medical settings.

In Canada’s National Occupational Classification, medical administrative assistants fall under NOC 13112. Job titles can include medical administrative assistant, medical secretary and hospital ward secretary. Because employers sometimes use “medical office assistant” for both reception-focused and more specialized administrative positions, read each posting carefully and compare its duties with the NOC description.

What does a medical administrative assistant do?

The role combines healthcare communication with detailed office administration. According to the Government of Canada’s NOC profile, common responsibilities include:

• Scheduling and confirming patient appointments
• Receiving messages and communicating information to medical staff and patients
• Entering and formatting medical reports and correspondence
• Completing insurance and other claim forms
• Creating and maintaining confidential medical files
• Supporting billing, financial records and office reporting
• Ordering supplies and maintaining inventory
• Developing office procedures and document-tracking systems

The exact mix depends on the workplace. A family practice may emphasize appointment flow, referrals and billing. A hospital unit may require coordinating records and communication across several departments. A specialist clinic may expect strong knowledge of medical terminology and its electronic health record system.

What education and training do you need?

Government of Canada Job Bank says secondary school is usually required, along with a one- or two-year college program or specialized medical-secretary courses. Job Bank currently lists the occupation as not regulated in Canada, so there is no single national licence required to work in it.

That does not mean every applicant is equally prepared. Employers may favour candidates who can demonstrate:

• Medical terminology and accurate spelling
• Electronic medical record or electronic health record experience
• Appointment scheduling and referral coordination
• Billing, claims or medical-office procedures
• Privacy-conscious handling of patient information
• Professional telephone and written communication
• Microsoft Office or comparable productivity software
• Strong keyboarding, proofreading and attention to detail

Before enrolling in a program, compare its curriculum, work placement, graduate outcomes, tuition and recognition by local employers. A practicum can be especially useful for gaining experience with real workflows and software.

How much do medical administrative assistants earn?

Job Bank’s national wage report, updated November 19, 2025, lists hourly wages for NOC 13112 at approximately $18.92 on the low end, $25.00 at the median and $32.00 on the high end across Canada. The figures use a 2023–2024 Labour Force Survey reference period.

Pay can vary with province, city, union coverage, employer type, experience, schedule and job complexity. Hospital roles may have different compensation and benefit structures from small private clinics. Use the Job Bank wage report to compare the latest figures for your region instead of treating the national median as a guaranteed starting wage.

What is the career outlook?

Prospects vary across Canada. In Ontario, Job Bank rates the outlook for medical administrative assistants as very good for 2025–2027, citing employment growth, retirements and relatively few unemployed workers with recent experience. In the Toronto region, the outlook is rated good for the same period, and Job Bank reports that most workers are employed in ambulatory healthcare services and hospitals.

Outlook ratings are updated periodically and can differ sharply by region. Check the current Job Bank outlook for the province or city where you intend to work.

How to become a stronger candidate

1. Study local postings. Review 15–20 current jobs and list the software, terminology and procedures that appear repeatedly.
2. Choose targeted training. Prioritize programs that teach medical terminology, records, privacy, scheduling and billing—not only general office skills.
3. Build evidence of accuracy. Use résumé examples that show careful record handling, scheduling volume, customer service or process improvements.
4. Practise healthcare scenarios. Prepare examples of protecting confidentiality, calming a frustrated caller and managing competing priorities.
5. Tailor every application. Match the terminology in the posting and distinguish relevant healthcare experience from general administration.

If you are changing careers, experience from reception, customer service, insurance, administration or records management may transfer well. Explain how those skills apply to patient communication, confidentiality and high-volume scheduling.

Questions to ask before accepting a position

• Which scheduling, billing and health-record systems are used?
• How much of the role involves reception, records, referrals and billing?
• What privacy and software training is provided?
• Are evening, weekend or rotating shifts required?
• Is the position permanent, temporary, casual or part-time?
• What opportunities exist to move into senior administration, clinic coordination or health information roles?

Is this career a good fit?

This role may suit you if you enjoy organized, detail-focused work and can communicate calmly with people who may be anxious, unwell or under time pressure. It also requires discretion: administrative staff frequently handle information that must be kept confidential.

Ready to explore opportunities? Browse healthcare jobs in Canada, review healthcare job categories, and use official Job Bank information to compare requirements and outlooks in your region.

Wage and outlook information was checked on September 21, 2026. Labour-market data changes over time; verify current regional information before making education or career decisions.