Medical secretaries serve as administrative assistants in hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, and in doctors' and dentists' offices. In addition to being familiar with all the standard secretarial tools, medical secretaries must be comfortable with special terminology of medicine and pharmacology. They must also be familiar with the billing procedures required by insurance companies and government programs like Medicare, as well as know what forms hospitals and labs require, and how to complete them. Medical records management may also be part of the job, as may medical transcription, ordering medical supplies, and making sure that an office library has the latest medical journals and publications. The necessary training for this job is widely available. Technical schools typically award a certificate on the completion of a certain number of semester hours. Community and junior colleges offer more through two year programs, leading to an associate's degree.