How Much Do Medical And Dental Office Administrators Make In Canada?

Medical and dental office administrators are a crucial part of the healthcare industry. They are often the first contact for customers who visit hospitals and clinics for dental and other medical treatments. They do not directly treat patients, but they may be arranging the treatments by providing all the logistical support to doctors, dentists, and other technical staff. Medical office administrators help doctors with a variety of administrative duties in hospitals, medical clinics, doctor’s offices, and other such medical settings.

They schedule medical appointments, communicate with medical staff, maintain inventory, do billing, prepare invoices, etc. Similarly, dental assistants assist dentists, dental therapists, and dental hygienists during the treatment of patients. They also perform clerical functions such as preparing invoices, processing payments, scheduling patient appointments, etc. Dental assistants perform their duties in dental clinics, community health centers, clinics and other such institutions.

Their job duties include preparing patients for dental examinations, sterilizing instruments, taking X-rays, educating patients about dental hygiene, etc. If you have the skills like oral communication, coordinating, monitoring, instructing, time management, and management of material resources, then you may consider enrolling in Edison College’s Medical and Dental Office Administrator Certificate program.

The benefit of this medical and dental office administrators’ 8-month certificate program is that its graduates can work in both medical and dental clinics and hospitals; moreover, it is a 100% online course. Otherwise, most of such programs (like medical office administration course) are offered separately for medical office administrators and dental office administrators.

Medical administrative assistants in Canada earn a median of $25.00 an hour, and $26.50 an hour in British Columbia, according to Government of Canada Job Bank (wages updated November 19, 2025). That works out to roughly $52,000 to $55,000 a year for full-time work, though actual pay depends on the employer, location, hours and experience. Job Bank does not publish a separate wage profile for dental office administrators, so this guide explains what the data covers, what it doesn’t, and what to consider before choosing this career.

What Medical and Dental Office Administrators Do

Medical and dental office administrators run the front office of a clinic. Typical duties include:

• booking and managing patient appointments;
• greeting patients and answering calls;
• maintaining patient charts and health records;
• processing billing and insurance claims;
• using medical and dental office software.

This is an administrative role. Clinical tasks such as taking X-rays or assisting chairside belong to dental assistants and other clinical staff.

Medical Administrative Assistant Wages by Province

Source: Government of Canada Job Bank, Medical Administrative Assistant (NOC 13112). Wages updated November 19, 2025, based on Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey data for 2023–2024.

What this means as an annual figure

At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks (2,080 hours), the median works out to about:

• $52,000 a year nationally ($25.00 × 2,080);
• $55,120 a year in BC ($26.50 × 2,080).

These are our calculations, not Job Bank figures. Many administrators work part-time or variable hours, so actual annual earnings can be lower or higher.

What the wage data doesn’t tell you

• It is not a starting wage. The range covers all experience levels. New graduates often start nearer the low end.
• It is provincial, not local. Job Bank does not publish separate figures for Victoria or other BC regions for this occupation.
• It changes. Wages are updated periodically, so check Job Bank for the latest figures.

Job Bank also reports that 79.8% of medical administrative assistants in Canada receive at least one non-wage benefit, such as health or dental coverage. Benefits vary by employer.

What About Dental Office Administrators?

Job Bank does not publish a separate wage page for dental office administrators. Be careful with figures for “dental assistants.” That is a clinical occupation with different duties and pay, and it does not describe front-office work.

The most practical way to gauge dental office administrator pay is to:

• compare the medical administrative assistant data above, which covers similar front-office work;
• review current job postings for dental receptionists and dental office administrators in your area;
• ask employers directly about pay ranges and benefits.

Training for Medical and Dental Office Administration

Edison College’s Medical and Dental Office Administrator Certificate is a 30-week, 600-hour program that covers both medical and dental front-office skills. Courses include:

Medical And Dental Office Administrators: What Numbers Say

Medical office administrators can have different job titles such as medical administrative assistant or medical clinic assistant, to name a few. The median salary of such jobs in Alberta is $28.00, which is significantly higher than other provinces. Just to give you an interesting fact, the lowest median salary for medical office administrators is $21 in Manitoba.

Suppose, you work 40 hours a week, then you can make $3,610 a month (with a median Canadian salary of $22.56). Obviously, this salary can be way higher or lower, depending on the province you live in and the number of years of your experience.

Medical office administrators work under several job titles, including medical administrative assistant, medical office assistant and medical secretary. Government of Canada Job Bank groups these roles as Medical Administrative Assistants (NOC 13112). It reports a national median wage of $25.00 an hour, and $26.50 an hour in British Columbia.

Wages vary by province. Alberta has the highest provincial median at $29.00 an hour, and Nova Scotia the lowest at $23.50.

Source: Government of Canada Job Bank, Medical Administrative Assistant (NOC 13112). Wages updated November 19, 2025, based on Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey data for 2023–2024.

Based on full-time hours (40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year), the median works out to about:

These are our own calculations, not Job Bank figures. Actual earnings depend on the employer, location, hours and experience. Job Bank’s range covers all experience levels, so new graduates often start nearer the low end. Many administrators also work part-time or variable hours.

The job titles of a dental office administrator can also vary, such as dental office assistant or dental assistant, etc. According to the Government of Canada 2023 statistics, the median salary of a dental assistant is $25.44 in Canada, with Alberta again topping the list with a median salary of $30.00.

The lowest median salary for dental assistants is $21.50 in Prince Edward Island. One can get a monthly salary of $4,070 (with a median Canadian salary of $25.44) with 40 hours per week.

Medical And Dental Office Administrators: Job Prospects For 2024, 2025 and 2026

Job prospects for medical and dental office administrators over the next three years are quite different, depending on the province you live in.

For instance, job prospects for medical administrative assistants are very good in Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan while good in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Labrador, according to the Government of Canada.

Similarly, job prospects for dental assistants are good in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan, while moderate in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, etc.

The Next 10 Years Job Prospects

By 2021, there were 91,200 medical administrative assistants employed all over Canada, while the total number of employed dental assistants was 37,300.

The Government of Canada expects that there will be new job openings of 41,100 for medical administrative assistants from 2022 to 2031, while there will be 36,400 new job seekers to fill these jobs, a shortage of 11.4%.

In the case of dental assistants, the expected addition of new jobs will be 14,200 from 2022 to 2031 while there will be 17,000 new job seekers in this category over the same period, an oversupply of 19.7%.

Currently, the median salary of medical administrative assistants is $22.56 in Canada compared to $25.44, i.e., a difference of 12.76%. The expected shortage of medical administrative assistants all over the country may push their salaries a bit higher in the coming years.

Conclusion

Like many other fields within the healthcare sector, medical and dental office administrators are in shortage in the country. The Canadian population is aging fast, and despite high immigration of foreign workers, the country is unable to meet the growing demands of the healthcare sector.

After the devastating impact of the pandemic, for both the healthcare sector and the healthcare workers, the Canadian government is trying to improve the working conditions in this critical sector. The government is also introducing new programs to help employers so that they can better serve their employees.

Chances are that job prospects in the healthcare sector, along with medical and dental office administrators, will continue to remain better than most of the other sectors in Canada.

Join the Medical and Dental Office Administrators’ Certificate at Edison College

Edison College’s medical and dental office administrators’ dual certificate means that after graduation, the students can both work in medical and dental offices. All Medical and Dental Office Administrator courses are equally balanced in this, along with the courses related to dental office administration.

This certificate also has courses related to health care terminology, medical billing, bookkeeping procedures, medical and dental insurance, and introductory medical transcription. Besides these technical courses, this certificate also covers courses like effective communication strategies and the latest computer applications, etc. so that the graduates can get better opportunities. If you have questions or concerns, you can contact us today to learn more about this program. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do medical office administrators make in BC?
Government of Canada Job Bank reports a median wage of $26.50 per hour for medical administrative assistants in British Columbia (NOC 13112, wages updated November 19, 2025). Individual pay varies by employer, experience and hours.

How much do dental office administrators make in Canada?
Job Bank does not publish a separate wage profile for dental office administrators. The medical administrative assistant data, with a national median of $25.00 per hour, covers similar front-office work. Local job postings give the best picture of current pay.

Are medical administrative assistants in demand in BC?
Job Bank rates the three-year job prospects for medical administrative assistants in British Columbia as moderate (outlook updated December 10, 2025).

How long is Edison’s Medical and Dental Office Administrator program?
The Medical and Dental Office Administrator Certificate is 30 weeks, or 600 hours.