What Is A Medical Assistant?

How Long to Become: 1-2 years Job Outlook: 12% growth from 2024-2034 Average Annual Salary: $44,200

What a Medical Assistant Does

Education required: high school diploma or certificate Certification: optional

Medical assistants handle administrative, clinical, and patient liaison work. On the administrative side, they answer phones, check patients in, schedule appointments, update records, code insurance forms, handle billing and bookkeeping, and coordinate hospital admissions and lab services. On the clinical side, they review medical histories, relay lab results, prepare and assist during exams, and transcribe documents.

Where Medical Assistants Work

Most work in physicians' and other practitioners' offices, hospitals, and outpatient care centers. Duties shift with state law and facility needs. In physicians' offices, they schedule appointments, assist with exams, and in some states administer medication under supervision. In hospitals, they take vitals, sterilize instruments, remove stitches, and change dressings. In outpatient centers, they collect patient information, update electronic health records, and prepare lab samples.

Why Become a Medical Assistant

The upside: strong job growth, no lengthy education, and the chance to help people. The downside: low pay, hours that may include evenings, weekends, and holidays, and limited advancement without further education.

How to Become a Medical Assistant

A high school diploma or GED is the only educational prerequisite to enroll in a medical assistant program, which you can complete online or in person. To get hired, graduate from a program accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

Programs at vocational centers or colleges often take 12 months or fewer; some community colleges offer two-year programs leading to an associate degree. Training covers basic medical care like taking vitals, giving injections, and drawing blood, plus coursework in pharmacology, microbiology, urinalysis, and hematology, along with administrative duties and healthcare records. Every program includes a clinical internship.

Graduating from an accredited program qualifies you for the CMA (AAMA) exam through the American Association of Medical Assistants. You can work without the CMA, but many employers prefer or require it.

How Much Medical Assistants Make

Medical assistants earn an average of $44,200 a year, or $21.25 an hour, per May 2024 BLS data. Pay ranges from $35,020 for the lowest 10% to $57,830 for the top earners, shaped by location, employer, and certification. The top-paying states (Alaska, Washington, Washington D.C., California, and Oregon) all average above $50,000.

BLS projects 12% job growth from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, driven by an aging population needing more preventive care. Physicians' offices, clinics, and outpatient centers will keep leaning on medical assistants for both administrative and clinical work.

Career Advancement

Advancement usually means more education, certification, or a move into nursing. Options include an AAMA assessment-based certification in health education, geriatrics, or pediatrics, earned online; an associate degree in nursing (ADN), completed in two years for entry-level RN roles; or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), which most employers prefer and which the American Association of Colleges of Nursing backs as the minimum standard for RNs. Both an ADN and a BSN qualify you to take the NCLEX-RN and become an RN.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a CMA and a CNA? CNAs provide basic personal care (bathing, dressing, repositioning) under a nurse's supervision. CMAs review medical histories, assist during exams and procedures, administer medication under supervision in some states, and handle administrative tasks.

How long does training take? A few months at a hospital or medical facility, or about a year for a postsecondary certificate or diploma. Certification, including study and the exam, takes less than a year.

What skills do medical assistants need? Analytical skills to read charts and records, interpersonal skills for working with patients and staff under pressure, technical skills for clinical instruments, and the attention to detail needed for vitals and insurance coding.

What is on the CMA exam? Two hundred multiple-choice questions covering psychology, communication, professionalism, medical terminology, ethics, law, and risk management; administrative topics like reception, advocacy, business and financial practices, and records; and clinical topics including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, patient procedures, nutrition, and first aid.