The exact curriculum for this additional training to become a medical secretary varies from school to school. In most cases, however, in-depth knowledge is taught in the following areas:

• Anatomy
• Pathology
• Pharmacology
• Medical correspondence
• Computer science
• Practice organization
• Social insurances
• Health insurance
• Industry knowledge hospital and healthcare
• Accounting
• German
• Legal knowledge
• Computer science

In addition, electives can be taken free of charge at many schools. For more information on the exact curricula, please contact the respective educational institutions directly.

The training courses for medical and hospital secretaries and H+ medical secretaries are very similar in structure and content.

Training to become a medical secretary is not federally regulated and is completed with the school's own diploma or certificate. Most schools work closely with hospital associations and the Swiss Commercial Association (SKV).

An H+ diploma can be obtained at some schools; it is uniformly regulated and recognized by the Association of Swiss Hospitals, Clinics and Nursing Institutions (H+, formerly VESKA). The H+ supervisory committee monitors the quality of training and compliance with the H+ guidelines. Successful graduates are entered in the H+ register.

Training to become a medical secretary is not federally regulated, meaning that the duration and scope of the courses can be determined by the schools and educational institutions themselves. Almost all continuing education, further training courses are offered on a part-time basis, so that it is generally still possible to work full-time. Depending on the educational institution and training model, a course can last from 1 to 3 semesters.

A medical and hospital secretary performs various administrative tasks independently and professionally. They transcribe reports and expert opinions previously spoken by doctors on the dictaphone, answer the telephone and receive patients. Medical and hospital secretaries have a basic knowledge of medical terminology and health organization, are familiar with the various tariffs and forms required by health insurers and health insurance companies, so that they can carry out their tasks competently and are available as a contact person for doctors and patients.

Each educational institution decides for itself which people are eligible for continuing education, further training to become a medical secretary or hospital secretary. As a rule, however, the following requirements are expected:

• Commercial vocational education and training (VET)

or

• Medical vocational education and training (Federal VET Diploma)

or

• Other professional qualification and work experience

or

• High school diploma and relevant professional experience

and

• Good knowledge of German (level C1) and possibly a second national language
• IT user skills (MS Office) and ten-finger system

Depending on the school, there are other requirements such as a minimum age of 20 years, several years of professional experience in a secretarial role and an entrance exam. If you do not meet all the requirements, please speak directly to the contact person at the individual school. If you are interested, it is usually possible to make up any missing knowledge for the medical secretary course and an arrangement can be found.

The aim of medical secretary training and medical secretary or hospital secretary training is basically the same. The aim is to specialize in the administrative requirements of a doctor's practice or a hospital, with existing commercial knowledge (German, PC skills, keyboarding). The difference between medical secretary and medical secretary / hospital secretary lies in the degree or level of education. The medical secretary degree is a school diploma and is not federally recognized. This makes the choice of school and the learning content taught in the medical secretary training program all the more important. If you want a federally recognized qualification, you can obtain a qualification with a diploma from the Association of Swiss Hospitals H+ by training to become a medical secretary H+. The association monitors the quality of the federally regulated training and registers people who have received certificates.

As a rule, the courses for training as a medical and hospital secretary are attended part-time. The teaching times for the hospital secretary training course can be two evenings a week, two full days, a Saturday and a weekday or Saturdays only. Each school offers different course models, so it makes sense to get in touch with the relevant contact person directly via our contact form.

Medical secretary training takes 1 to 2 semesters, depending on the provider. The duration and structure of the training courses vary depending on previous education and the desired field of work. The time can be shortened if you have previous commercial training. Administrative subjects such as German, correspondence, accounting, law, economics and IT as well as medical subjects such as anatomy, pathology, terminology, hospital or practice organization are taught. Most training courses include intermediate examinations and a practical test. Depending on the course, final examinations are also possible. During medical secretary training, a medical secretary internship is not compulsory. However, those who complete one have a major advantage when looking for a job later on. By applying what they have learned in practice, these secretaries are tried and tested. A voluntary internship is usually free of charge, but also unpaid. In addition to giving you the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice, a medical secretary internship allows you to get to know the working environment and gain initial experience in everyday practice.