Medical Receptionist Jobs in San Diego, CA
Medical receptionists in San Diego, usually titled patient service or patient access representatives, typically start around $22 to $26 an hour, with Sharp Rees-Stealy and UC San Diego Health posting scales above $34. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to break in.
Current medical receptionist Openings in San Diego, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Medical Receptionist Work in San Diego
Front desk work in San Diego health care follows the big outpatient networks. Sharp Rees-Stealy runs clinics from Rancho Bernardo to downtown and La Mesa, Scripps staffs check-in desks at Scripps Coastal Medical Center in Hillcrest and call centers in San Diego and 4S Ranch, UC San Diego Health registers patients at Hillcrest, La Jolla and East Campus, and Rady Children's fills patient access roles at its Kearny Mesa campus and affiliated medical groups.
The job title rarely says receptionist. Search for patient service representative at Sharp and Scripps and patient access representative at UC San Diego Health and Rady. Because these desks also verify insurance, take copays and secure authorizations, employers here pay well above the City of San Diego's $17.75 minimum wage, and bilingual English and Spanish skills are listed as a plus in many postings.
Top San Diego Employers Hiring Medical Receptionists
These San Diego employers post front desk and patient access roles on their own careers sites:
- Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group - hires patient service representatives for check-in, registration, scheduling and phones, including a per diem float pool based at Rancho Bernardo.
- Scripps Health - posts patient service representative roles for check-in and check-out at Scripps Coastal Medical Center Hillcrest and in Scripps Clinic call centers.
- UC San Diego Health - hires patient access representatives to register and admit patients and verify insurance at its Hillcrest, La Jolla and East Campus medical centers.
- Rady Children's Health - staffs patient access representatives who greet families, check patients in and out, and schedule visits in pediatric clinics such as its Allergy and Asthma Medical Group.
Medical Receptionist Salaries in San Diego
- Entry level: about $22 to $26 per hour for front desk and check-in roles.
- Experienced: roughly $26 to $31 per hour with insurance verification and scheduling experience.
- Senior / lead: $31 to $35 per hour for senior patient access, hospital admitting and lead roles.
These are estimates drawn from pay ranges San Diego health systems posted in 2026. Pay rises with insurance and authorization skills, hospital admitting experience, Epic or other EHR experience and bilingual ability. Large health systems also fall under California's health care worker minimum wage law, which sets higher floors at many covered facilities.
How to Become a Medical Receptionist in San Diego
No state license exists for medical receptionists in California, so you do not need to apply to any board. Most entry roles ask for a high school diploma or GED and about a year of customer service experience, and some test typing speed and cash handling. Training helps you stand out: Southwestern College offers an Administrative Medical Assisting certificate at its Higher Education Center at National City that prepares students for the NHA Certified Medical Administrative Assistant exam, and the Grossmont Health Occupations Center in Santee teaches front office skills within its clinical and administrative medical assistant program.
What the Job Involves
Medical receptionists greet patients, check them in and out, register new patients, update demographics and insurance, confirm eligibility, schedule and confirm appointments, answer and route phone calls, collect copays and balance the cash drawer at the end of the day. Many also start referrals and authorizations and answer billing questions.
Skills Employers Look For
- Strong customer service on the phone and in person
- Insurance verification and authorization basics
- Scheduling and registration in an EHR
- Cash handling and end-of-day reconciliation
- Typing speed and accuracy
- Medical terminology
- Bilingual English and Spanish
Career Path and Advancement
San Diego front desk staff often move from patient service representative to senior or lead roles, then into hospital admitting, referral coordination, insurance authorization or patient access supervision at systems like UC San Diego Health and Sharp. Others add clinical training through an MA program and cross over to the back office, or move into billing and coding.
Related Careers in San Diego
If front desk health care work interests you, these related San Diego roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license or certificate to be a medical receptionist in San Diego?
No. California has no license for medical receptionists. A certificate such as the NHA Certified Medical Administrative Assistant can help, but most San Diego postings ask for customer service experience rather than a credential.
How much do medical receptionists make in San Diego?
Posted 2026 ranges at San Diego health systems run from about $22 to $35 an hour. New front desk staff usually start near $22 to $26, and experienced patient access representatives earn $26 to $31 or more.
What job titles should I search for?
Search for patient service representative, patient access representative and front desk as well as medical receptionist. Sharp Rees-Stealy and Scripps use patient service representative, while UC San Diego Health and Rady Children's use patient access representative.
Can I get hired without health care experience?
Often, yes. Sharp Rees-Stealy lists one year of customer service experience as its requirement and medical office experience as a preference, and Rady Children's asks for a high school diploma or GED at minimum. Hospital admitting roles usually want more registration experience.
Is bilingual Spanish important for front desk jobs in San Diego?
It is a real advantage. Rady Children's and UC San Diego Health list bilingual English and Spanish as preferred in patient access postings, and it can set you apart when two candidates have similar experience.
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