Medical assistants are enjoying a high projected growth rate that is much faster than average, making it one of the fastest growing occupations since 2008. Unlike the many years of education and demands of long hours experienced by physicians and nursing professionals, medical assistants perform more administrative tasks that generally require an average 9-5 day. The medical assistant job description therefore does not include spending several years in graduate and post-graduate institutions, nor does it require you to take out large student loans to cover the cost of education. Within the discipline of being a medical assistant you also have choices of a specific area of medicine in which you are primarily interested in being employed.
General Primary Duties of Medical Assistants
The main role of a medical assistant, regardless of their choice of medical discipline is to maintain the office of doctors, hospitals, medical centers and related environments. The Medical assistant job description therefore includes office-oriented tasks such as answering phones, scheduling appointments, accepting and sorting daily mail delivery and composing documents to be sent from the physician’s office. In addition, medical assistants may also help prepare an examining room and patient for the physician, recording patient information in a triage room, explaining procedures to patients and family members and calling prescription authorizations in to the appropriate pharmacy.
Duties of Medical Assistants in Specialized Environments
In addition to the general duties of a medical assistant in any environment, assistants who choose a more specialized setting such as a optometrist, podiatrist or laboratory will have additional responsibilities. These include but are not limited to, instructing patients on the use of specific products such as an air cast or contact lenses, making plaster casts of hands or feet for custom made orthotics and removing sutures. In these cases, the medical assistant job description is much wider in scope and may also require specialized training for the duties of a specific environment and related Federal, State and company regulations.
Job Outlook and Medical Assistant Salary
The average yearly salary for a medical assistant, according to the United States Department of Labor is approximately $29,000. The top ten percent of earners in the medical assistant field earn approximately $40,000 annually. The majority of medical assistants work in office environments, followed by outpatient clinics, adjunctive health care practitioner offices, surgical environments and hospitals. The Department of Labor adds that the job outlook for medical assistants is expected to increase at a rate that is significantly higher than average for other professions.
Training and Education Required for Medical Assistants
There are no specific educational requirements set forth by Federal or State governments for the training of medical assistants. In some cases, training is provided by an employer or potential employer and may possibly be combined with classroom work that is relevant to being a medical assistant in your chosen setting. The U.S. Department of Labor explains that slightly over 40 percent of all individuals employed as medical assistants have a high school diploma or GED. A college degree isn’t necessary, according to a standard medical assistant job description however many two year colleges offer a certificate in medical assisting. A standard employed by most of these colleges generally includes an internship in a medical environment and in many cases, individuals find employment in this same setting after they graduate.
Certifications Related to Medical Assistant Training and Education
Although they aren’t considered necessary in order to work as a medical assistant, several certifications are offered by educational providers that can increase your opportunities for employment. The governing body that provides accreditation for institutions that offer a specific set of classes to prepare you for work as a medical assistant is the American Association of Medical Assistants. Additionally, the American Medical Technologists Association offers the Registered Medical Assistant certification. If you choose to work in a specialized environment, many training programs offered at community colleges and vocational schools provides certificates in subspecialties like ophthalmology and podiatry.
Medical Assistant Job Description: The 5 Top States For Salaries
One of the most important factors in taking the time to get training and in some cases, certification, is the projected outlook for the salary you can expect to earn. Salaries differ between each of the states and can even vary widely within a state, based on factors such as population density and economic health. While having training as a medical assistant can improve your opportunities, the opportunities are not the same for everyone. The following are the top five states for medical assistants, based on current and projected annual earnings:
1. Alaska
2. District of Columbia
3. Massachusetts
4. Connecticut
5. Hawai
These states, in contrast to all other states, offered several important vocational factors:
- High employment opportunity levels
- High mean wage per hour
- Higher annual mean wage
- Highest employment availability (number of jobs typically available for medical assistants)
Below,you can see the average annual salary for every State in the US, arranged highest to lowest.
| Alaska | $37,750.00 | Iowa | $29,020.00 |
| District of Columbia | $36,790.00 | Florida | $28,970.00 |
| Massachusetts | $35,010.00 | North Carolina | $28,670.00 |
| Connecticut | $34,290.00 | Georgia | $28,650.00 |
| Hawaii | $34,070.00 | Wyoming | $28,570.00 |
| Washington | $33,550.00 | Michigan | $28,330.00 |
| Minnesota | $33,180.00 | Nebraska | $28,150.00 |
| Rhode Island | $32,590.00 | Indiana | $27,910.00 |
| Colorado | $32,570.00 | Texas | $27,860.00 |
| Oregon | $32,540.00 | New Mexico | $27,680.00 |
| New Jersey | $32,500.00 | Utah | $27,630.00 |
| Nevada | $32,250.00 | Ohio | $27,610.00 |
| New York | $32,220.00 | Montana | $27,570.00 |
| Maryland | $31,590.00 | North Dakota | $27,420.00 |
| Vermont | $31,380.00 | Tennessee | $27,140.00 |
| California | $31,260.00 | Missouri | $26,830.00 |
| Arizona | $31,250.00 | Kentucky | $26,450.00 |
| Virgin Islands | $31,220.00 | Kansas | $26,320.00 |
| New Hampshire | $30,740.00 | Arkansas | $26,030.00 |
| Illinois | $30,500.00 | Oklahoma | $26,010.00 |
| Wisconsin | $30,470.00 | Mississippi | $25,950.00 |
| Maine | $30,260.00 | Puerto Rico | $25,610.00 |
| Delaware | $29,990.00 | Louisiana | $25,370.00 |
| Virginia | $29,880.00 | South Dakota | $25,130.00 |
| Pennsylvania | $29,240.00 | Alabama | $24,540.00 |
| Idaho | $29,100.00 | Guam | $23,020.00 |
| South Carolina | $29,050.00 | West Virginia | $22,960.00 |
Source: bls.gov.
Related Occupations
The qualifications that generally fit a medical assistant job description can also be applied to adjunctive or related occupations. This provides you with additional opportunities in a variety of employment settings:
- Medical Records Technician
- Medical Data Assistant
- Medical Transcription
- Phlebotomist
- Physical or Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Nursing Assistant
- Home Health Aide
- Dialysis Technician
In some cases, you may need to take additional coursework for training and possibly certification in order to work in one of these related fields.