A day in the life of a Medical Practice Manager in Australia.
What a medical practice manager actually does in an Australian GP clinic. Sourced from a real practitioner.
Interviewed an AU Medical Practice Manager in SA, May 2026.
Who I interviewed.
A Practice Manager at a 6-GP clinic in Adelaide. Five years in the role, previously an office administrator at a law firm. Manages 14 staff (GPs, nurses, reception).
The morning.
Arrives at 7:30, before the clinic opens. Checks overnight pathology results flagged by the clinical software. Reviews the day's appointment book: one GP is off sick, 38 appointments need to be redistributed or rescheduled. Calls 8 patients to reschedule. Manages two walk-in requests for the remaining GPs. Processes the previous day's Medicare billing: checks item numbers, flags any that need GP sign-off, submits the batch. One rejection from Medicare for an incorrect item number. She corrects and resubmits.
Midday.
Staff meeting: reviews the accreditation audit checklist (RACGP Standards). Three items outstanding: the emergency drugs register needs updating, the infection control audit is due, and the complaints register needs a new entry from last week. Assigns each to the practice nurse. Lunch at the desk while reviewing a quote from a new pathology courier service.
The afternoon.
Interviews a candidate for a receptionist role. Reviews two CVs, does a 30-minute interview, calls one reference. Deals with a supplier invoice dispute (overcharged for vaccine stock). Drafts the monthly P and L report for the practice owners. Updates the staff roster for the next fortnight. Handles a patient complaint about wait times: listens, apologises, explains the GP shortage, and offers a follow-up appointment. Logs the complaint in the register.
What surprised me.
The range. In one day she does HR, finance, compliance, patient relations, and IT troubleshooting (the printer jammed during a busy clinic). She said the thing that keeps her in the job is that no two days are the same. The thing she wishes she had known before starting: Medicare billing is a skill you learn by doing, not by reading about it.
What it pays.
A$1,655 a week
Published for ANZSCO unit group 5122, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
How to land this role.
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Other days in the life.
The rest of the series, one Australian per role.
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