The verdict in three sentences
A medical secretary in Thiès already masters half of the executive assistant job: reception, files, confidentiality, appointment management. What she lacks to move into the director's office is Excel reporting, administrative correspondence, organizing meetings and boards and managing an executive's calendar. A targeted 47-hour course at 200,000 FCFA pays for itself in a few months if it leads to the position, with a salary gap of roughly 60,000 to 150,000 FCFA a month.
Medical secretary or executive assistant: what really changes
In a private clinic in Thiès, the medical secretary works for patients and doctors. The executive assistant works for the director or the owner: she prepares decisions, screens calls, follows suppliers, insurers and payroll with the accountant. The 2026 figures below are estimates for Thiès and Dakar, not official scales.
| Criterion | Medical secretary | Clinic executive assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Net monthly salary in Thiès (2026 estimate) | 100,000 to 150,000 FCFA | 180,000 to 300,000 FCFA |
| Net salary in Dakar, clinic or healthcare group | 130,000 to 200,000 FCFA | 250,000 to 430,000 FCFA |
| Main contacts | Patients, doctors, mutual insurers | Director, accountant, suppliers, insurers, IPM |
| Daily tools | Paper diary or booking software | Outlook or Gmail, Excel, Word, PowerPoint |
| Documents produced | Patient forms, typed reports | Management notes, minutes, monthly dashboards |
| Hours | Frequent shifts and on-call duty | Office hours, peaks before boards and audits |
The move rarely happens through an external job ad. It usually happens internally, when the director notices that a secretary can already keep a revenue tracking sheet or write a clean letter to an insurer.
Which course to choose: price, duration and content in 2026
| Option | Indicative 2026 cost | Duration | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private secretarial school in Thiès or Dakar | 300,000 to 800,000 FCFA per year | 9 to 10 months in person | School diploma, fixed hours, hard to combine with shifts |
| YouTube videos and free online certificates | 0 FCFA | Variable | General notions, poorly adapted to the Senegalese context |
| Evening office software classes | 50,000 to 150,000 FCFA | 1 to 3 months | Word and Excel, without the assistant job itself |
| Kolonell Academy, Executive Assistant (level 5) | 200,000 FCFA (305 EUR) | 47 h at your own pace | Calendar, correspondence, meetings, filing, Excel reporting, presentations, certificate |
| Full Office and productivity track (5 levels) | 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 | About 6 months part-time | From computer basics and email up to the executive assistant job |
The course Executive Assistant: office tools, organization and communication, taught in French, is level 5, the most advanced, of the track. It covers ten modules: the job, the executive's calendar and priorities, administrative correspondence, meetings and boards, filing and confidentiality, management reporting with Excel, presentations, travel and expenses, professional communication and taking up the post.
If you have never built an Excel sheet with formulas, start lower in the Office and productivity track: level 3 Excel costs 75,000 FCFA and level 4 Office Suite 100,000 FCFA. The full track costs 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA when buying levels one by one.
The skills that make the difference in a clinic
| Skill | Concrete example in a Thiès clinic | Visible gain for the director |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Excel dashboard | Revenue per department, bed occupancy, unpaid IPM claims | Decision in 10 minutes instead of an hour of questions |
| Meeting preparation | Agenda, file sent 48 h ahead, minutes | 45-minute meetings instead of 2 h |
| Administrative correspondence | Reminder to an insurer, reply to the health district | Fewer back-and-forths, professional image |
| Calendar management | Protected blocks, grouped supplier meetings | 3 to 5 h freed per week for the director |
| Filing and confidentiality | HR files and contracts sorted, restricted access | Compliance with Senegal's 2008-12 data protection law |
Learn this skill with Kolonell Academy
Short, practical online courses (taught in French), graded exercises, certificate. Pay with Wave or Orange Money.
These concrete proofs, shown over a month of work, are what convince a director to create or hand over the position.
Mini case study
Illustrative scenario: Fatou, 29, medical secretary in a private clinic in Thiès, paid 130,000 FCFA net per month. She takes the Executive Assistant course in the evenings, 5 h per week, about 10 weeks for the 47 h.
- Course cost: 200,000 FCFA, paid with Wave.
- During the course, she offers the director a monthly sheet of revenue and unpaid insurance claims, built with the reporting module templates.
- Four months later, she gets the executive assistant post at 210,000 FCFA net, 80,000 FCFA more per month.
- Payback: 200,000 / 80,000 = 2.5 months of extra salary to recover the course cost.
This is an order of magnitude, not a promise: promotion depends on the clinic's size and the director's needs. Even without an immediate change of post, the skills strengthen her application for a healthcare group in Dakar.
FAQ
Do I need a secretarial diploma to take the course? No. You need to use a computer, email and basic Word. If Excel is new to you, level 3 of the track, at 75,000 FCFA, is a better entry point.
How much time per week should I plan? The course lasts 47 h. At 5 h per week, count about 10 weeks, which remains compatible with clinic shifts.
Is the 180,000 to 300,000 FCFA salary guaranteed? No. It is a 2026 estimate for Thiès that depends on the employer. In Dakar, in a healthcare group or a multinational, positions start higher, often above 250,000 FCFA.
Can I pay by mobile money? Payment is made with Wave or Orange Money. The full track at 350,000 FCFA instead of 450,000 FCFA is the most economical option if you start from the basics.
Is the course specific to the medical sector? It covers the executive assistant job in all sectors. The exercises on calendars, reporting and confidentiality apply directly to a clinic.
Take the next step. Enroll in Executive Assistant: office tools, organization and communication: 47 h at your own pace, 200,000 FCFA, Kolonell Academy certificate included. Pay with Wave or Orange Money. Questions? WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
