Medical Receptionist Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Medical receptionists in San Francisco check in patients at Chinese Hospital in Chinatown, UCSF Health's Mission Bay campus, city hospitals and clinics, and neighborhood offices such as One Medical in West Portal, with posted pay from about $24 an hour. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get started.
Current medical receptionist Openings in San Francisco, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Medical Receptionist Work in San Francisco
In San Francisco the front desk job goes by many titles. Hospitals call it admitting or patient access: UCSF Health registers patients around the clock at Mission Bay, and Chinese Hospital runs admitting for its Chinatown campus. The City and County hires hospital unit clerks who handle reception, scheduling and charts on inpatient units and in Department of Public Health outpatient clinics. Primary care chains such as One Medical blend the front desk with clinical work at offices in West Portal and the Inner Sunset.
Two local factors shape the work. Many desks serve patients who speak Cantonese, Mandarin or Spanish, and Chinese Hospital requires Cantonese or Mandarin for its admitting staff. And because California's SB 525 health care minimum wage covers most staff at covered hospitals and clinics, front desk pay here sits well above the city's general $19.61 minimum.
Top San Francisco Employers Hiring Medical Receptionists
These employers have posted front desk, registration or unit clerk roles in San Francisco on their own career sites:
- Chinese Hospital - the Chinatown hospital hires part-time admitting clerks fluent in English and Cantonese or Mandarin, posting $23.80 to $35.67 an hour.
- UCSF Health - hires senior admitting workers to register patients at Mission Bay, and hospital assistants who cover the front desk at Langley Porter and Mount Zion.
- San Francisco Department of Public Health - hires hospital unit clerks (job class 1428) for inpatient units and outpatient clinics, at $81,146 to $98,592 a year.
- One Medical - the primary care practice hires phlebotomist and administrative assistants to run check-in, check-out and scheduling at its West Portal and Inner Sunset offices.
Medical Receptionist Salaries in San Francisco
- Entry level: about $24 to $28 an hour for clinic and hospital front desk roles.
- Experienced: roughly $28 to $36 an hour with hospital registration experience, insurance knowledge or a second language.
- Senior: about $39 to $47 an hour on the City and County's unit clerk scale.
These are estimates drawn from pay ranges San Francisco employers published in their own postings in 2026. The city's civil service scale pays the most, overnight and weekend shifts can add differentials, and bilingual staff and those who handle insurance verification and collections tend to earn toward the top of the range.
How to Become a Medical Receptionist in San Francisco
California has no license for medical receptionists, so you do not need a state credential to work a front desk. Employers want a high school diploma or GED, customer service experience and basic computer skills, and hospitals prefer registration experience and medical terminology. City College of San Francisco teaches Health Information Technology and Health Unit Coordinator courses at its John Adams Center on Hayes Street, and the city's free HealthCare Academy offers Medical Administrative Assistant training. The city's unit clerk exam accepts a recognized unit coordinator or medical assistant program in place of experience.
What the Job Involves
Medical receptionists greet patients, verify identity and insurance, register new patients and collect co-pays and deposits. They schedule and confirm appointments, answer phones, route messages to clinical staff, scan and file records, and keep the waiting room moving. In hospitals, admitting staff also process admissions, transfers and discharges and explain consent and financial forms.
Skills Employers Look For
- Friendly, calm customer service under pressure
- Insurance verification and Medi-Cal or Medicare basics
- Epic or another scheduling and registration system
- Accurate data entry and typing
- Medical terminology
- Cantonese, Mandarin or Spanish
Career Path and Advancement
Front desk work is a common way into San Francisco health care. Receptionists move into senior admitting, financial counseling and patient access supervision at hospitals such as UCSF Health, or into the city's civil service clerical ladder. Others train as medical assistants through City College or the HealthCare Academy and move to the clinical side.
Related Careers in San Francisco
If front desk work interests you, these San Francisco roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do medical receptionists need a license in California?
No. California has no license or required certification for medical receptionists. Employers look for customer service experience, computer skills and, at hospitals, registration experience and medical terminology.
How much do medical receptionists make in San Francisco?
Posted pay runs from about $24 to $36 an hour at hospitals and clinics. City and County unit clerks earn $81,146 to $98,592 a year, or roughly $39 to $47 an hour.
Is being bilingual required for front desk jobs in San Francisco?
Some employers require it. Chinese Hospital requires English and Cantonese or Mandarin for its admitting clerks, and community clinics in the Mission post bilingual roles for Spanish speakers.
How do I get a city job as a hospital unit clerk?
The City and County fills unit clerk jobs, class 1428, through a civil service exam posted on its careers site. You need six months of medical clerical experience, or a recognized unit coordinator or medical assistant program in its place, then a passing score on a multiple-choice test.
What hours do medical receptionists work in San Francisco?
Clinic front desks usually run weekday daytime shifts, such as One Medical's 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. window. Hospital admitting runs around the clock, and UCSF Health's Mission Bay admitting office hires for rotating 12-hour overnight shifts that include weekends and holidays.
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