Objectives

The Medical Documentation and Secretarial Program, which began offering associate degree education in 2017, aims to train qualified healthcare personnel capable of performing essential administrative and documentation duties within public and private healthcare institutions. These duties include managing patient records, treatment documentation, discharge procedures, and filing systems, as well as compiling and organizing findings from scientific research in various fields of medicine and health technology for the use of researchers. The program emphasizes cultivating professionals with strong communication and a high sense of responsibility.

The duration of the program is four semesters (including internship). At the end of the second semester, students are required to complete a 30-working-day summer internship.

Definition

A Medical Documentation and Secretary Specialist is a professional who compiles, organizes, and presents findings obtained from scientific research conducted in various fields of medicine and health technology.

Duties

• Collects, organizes, and reports data on hospital resources such as bed capacity, types and durations of treatments, and the number of discharged or deceased patients.

• Compiles and organizes periodic statistical tables related to hospital efficiency, bed occupancy, birth rates, and mortality rates for use by researchers and administrators.

• Compiles and systematizes scientific findings in the medical field.

• Handles patient admission and discharge procedures, forwarding records to relevant departments or physicians.

• Prepares medical reports.

• Establishes and organizes hospital archives.

Required Qualifications

Individuals wishing to become medical documentation specialists and secretaries should possess:

• Healthy hand, finger, vision, and hearing functions,

• Strong attention to detail,

• Orderliness and precision,

• Rule-abiding and responsible behavior,

• Patience and effective communication skills,

• Preference for indoor administrative work environments.

Working Conditions

Medical documentation and secretarial professionals work in hospital archives, outpatient clinics, service secretariats, and administrative offices. They maintain close interaction with both hospital staff and patients. Although the work environment is clean and relatively quiet, it can be crowded. Secretaries dealing with patient admissions and discharges may face challenges when communicating with anxious or demanding patients and their relatives.

Educational Institutions

This profession is taught in the Departments of Medical Documentation and Secretarial Studies at Vocational Schools of Health Services within universities, as well as in Medical Secretarial Programs at Health Vocational High Schools.

Graduates of Medical Secretarial, Office Management, or Medical Clerkship programs at vocational high schools may apply for direct admission to the associate degree program without an entrance exam, provided they meet the placement criteria based on their Secondary Education Success Score (OBP) and regional quotas (METEB). Those from other disciplines may apply based on their YGS-3 score obtained from the Higher Education Entrance Examination (YGS).

Duration and Curriculum

The program duration at Vocational Schools of Health Services is 2 years (post-secondary), while the Medical Secretarial program at Health Vocational High Schools lasts 4 years (post-primary).

Curriculum Overview:

• Year 1: Ten-finger typing, basic anatomy, medical terminology, computer literacy, medical ethics, secretarial techniques, pathology and disease information, hospital information systems, and elective courses.

• Year 2: Medical documentation, public relations, hospital practice, computer applications, composition, and electives.

Students also receive theoretical and practical training in hospital archive architecture, shelving and filing systems, indexing and storage methods, archival protection against deterioration, budget planning, and secretarial support for medical record commissions.

Practical courses include use of dictation devices and computer training in Windows and office software such as Access, Word, and Writer.

Graduates are awarded the Associate Degree in Medical Documentation and Secretarial Studies and earn the professional title of “Medical Documentation and Secretary Specialist.”

Employment Opportunities

Graduates can work in:

• University and state hospitals, health centers, private hospitals and clinics,

• Private medical practices,

• Medical publishing or software companies (journals, bulletins, abstracts, etc.),

• Medical equipment sales and promotion companies,

• Ambulance and healthcare service firms.

Although some staffing limitations currently exist, there is a growing need for trained personnel in this field. The expansion of private healthcare institutions further increases job opportunities.

Professionals may also work as secretaries, archivists, or statistical officers in private healthcare institutions, and some are employed in pharmaceutical promotion firms. Those with advanced computer and typing skills are highly sought after by medical documentation offices. In private clinics, they often manage appointment systems and assist physicians with scientific and administrative tasks.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

During their education, students may earn additional income by working evening or weekend shifts in hospital revolving funds, foundations, or private healthcare institutions. They may also obtain Student and Tuition Loans from the Credit and Dormitories Institution (KYK), repayable after graduation.

Currently, there are no specific positions for this title within the Ministry of Health or universities. Therefore, graduates must pass the Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS) to be appointed to public institutions. Successful candidates typically start as clerks or typists at Grade 10, Step 2, receiving salaries approximately twice the national minimum wage, plus additional allowances and revolving fund shares. In recent years, some have also been appointed to Health Technician positions.

Career Advancement

Graduates who pass the Vertical Transfer Exam (DGS) organized by ÖSYM may continue their studies in Health Institutions Management or Health Administration undergraduate programs.

Medical Documentation and Secretarial graduates can begin their careers as administrative officers in hospitals or similar institutions. With experience and proven performance, they may advance to positions such as office supervisor, or manager of administrative and technical services, library, and documentation departments.