Is anyone a medical secretary

[subwaysalad]

Sorry about posting in AIBU for traffic

Is anyone on here a medical secretary?

Ive just accepted a position for one and currently trying to figure out where I could progress after this... admin manager, anything else?

I was a kind of part time medical secretary and now I am a Practice Lead at a GP practice

What grade have you gone in on ?

I used to be a medical secretary, thinking of going back to it part time now and have a couple of interviews.

I used to be a band 4. Outside of London it seems that most Trusts have downgraded med secs to a band 3 with “support med secs” and audio typists being a band 2.

You can progress to a senior medical secretary/medical secretary supervisor (was a band 5, now probably a band 4!) or Administration Manager. Which should be a band 5 but could only be a 4. Or a PA/office manger to hospital senior management which seems to be a band 5 job.

There are a few junior management jobs at band 5/6 floating around. Having a look in my local area there’s an outpatient performance support manager role. You could also move sideways into something like HR or finance.

@sooticathewitchescat what is a practice lead? is that like a practice manager? what band is that?

The new job is a band 4. I have worked my way up over the last 4 years (including a years maternity) from a 2, to a 3, now a 4.

This job is perfect hours for me though so I am looking to stay here for a while to get a good bit experience of a band 4 before moving on - youngest is only 1 so no rush for progression into something more demanding at the moment.

I have also noticed that some med secs have been changed to a band 3, I certainly wouldnt be doing management for a band 4!!

Can someone who has been a medical secretary confirm something for me, please?

Some years ago a friend did some temping as a secretary to a consultant in a hospital. She said there was a deep pile of files on a table in her office and she asked if they needed to be filed. The consultant told her no, they were files for private patients waiting for him to write letters but he delayed doing so because his secretary was off sick and he was waiting for her to return.

Friend asked why she couldn't type the letters and consultant explained his secretary was paid for every letter for private patients and she would be mad to come back and discover that she had missed out on the money

Does this really happen? Is it just me who thinks it's wrong that someone was being paid by the NHS to do a job, then spent part of that time doing work for private patients and getting paid extra for it?

@silverysurfer Ive been a band 3 medical secretary for the last 2 years and worked in the NHS for 4 years. I have literally never heard of that.

I highly doubt anyone, even if they work in private sector, is paid per letter either. They will be salaried same as everyone else.

@silverysurfer unless she had an NHS job but also worked for this consultant on the side for his private work. Sounds the most likely scenario.

I was a medical secretary 15 years ago and having progressed through several roles at this GP surgery am now one of the practice managers.

Progression would probably depend on whether you are based in a GP practice or hospital.

@ocies that doesnt matter in my area the jobs are all advertised centrally and you can apply for any whether they are in GP practice or hospital, can switch between the two if you want etc.

What band is practice manager, 5 or 6?

Sorry, no idea what band it is. We don't use Agenda for Change in our practice.

Ok - just looked up the AfC bandings and where I am, Practice Manager jobs are more like Band 8.

@ocies wow really. they are a band 5 or 6 in my area.

I forgot though that most GP surgeries arent NHS as such they are private businesses arent they, are you in one of those I take it?

@ocies so youre on 45k but someone in my area is doing the same job for 25k thats craziness

Yes, GP practices are largely private businesses, owned by the Partners. The salary paid to the Practice Manager will depend somewhat on the size of the practice. I also live in an expensive part of the country. A three bed semi in my town averages at about £450k.

@ocies yeah of course. ah yeah that makes a lot of sense then as our (large) 3 bed semi was 150k