Medical Assistant Salary

We often receive questions from aspiring medical assistants about medical assistant salaries, how much a new medical assistant can expect to earn and what the average wages for experienced medical assistants who graduated from a medical assisting training program might be. Unfortunately there are so many facets to the medical assisting career and too many nuances depending on the job's location, local job market, employer's expectations, work work load, hours, and benefits that it is nearly impossible to answer this question regarding medical assistant pay with an exact figure.

Who Pays Better Medical Assistant Wages?

We know that family and  general primary care physicians do not pay their medical assistants nearly as much as doctors in specialty offices can offer, mostly because primary care physicians often are members of HMOs and bound by contracts with the health care insurance companies, such as Medicare, Blue Cross - Blue Shield, Tricare, and such. Whatever they pay out to them, which is often much less than billed, must first cover the doctor's salary, and then office expenses, utilities, supplies, professional malpractice insurance premiums, professional membership dues and fees, licenses and continuing education expenses, before they pay their staff. Often, there is not much left to go around and the medical assistant is often the person lowest on the totem pole, so to speak.

On the other hand, health and medical services from specialty physicians, or surgeons often are more complex so they cost more, and the doctor earns more and can afford to pay the medical assistant a better salary.

Average Medical Assistant Hourly Wage

If a medical assistant's annual salary is $38,000 working 2,000 hours a year, it is the equivalent to an average hourly wage of $19 per hour. As a simple baseline calculation, you can assume two weeks of paid vacation per year. That leaves 50 working weeks, and if you work the typical 40 hours a week, then you have a total of 2,000 hours of work each year. In this case, you can quickly compute the hourly wage by dividing the annual salary by 2000.

Here is a small selection of medical assistant jobs and other related medical office jobs in Western Massachusetts as seen on the Indeed.com medical assistant salary guide on 10 February 2012, which gives you a general idea and simple baseline. As you see in the below examples, annual salaries range anywhere between $67,000 for the occupational therapy assistant and $27,000 for the medical administrative assistant in our area.

Medical Records Field Technician in Springfield, MA	$44,000
Physical Therapy Assistant Travel in Springfield, MA	$63,000
Medical Office Assistant in Springfield, MA	$29,000
Medical Administrative Assistant in Springfield, MA	$27,000
Certified Medical Assistant in Springfield, MA	$27,000
Office Administrative Assistant in Springfield, MA	$35,000
Medical Assistant in Springfield, MA	$30,000
Occupational Therapy Assistant in Springfield, MA	$67,000
Medical Support Assistant in Springfield, MA	$38,000
Nursing Assistant in Springfield, MA	$31,000
Certifited Occupational Therapist Assistant in Springfield, MA	$67,000

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More at Medical Assistant NET website.

Medical Assistant Better Pay

Medical Assistants: "Where Is The Money?"

I have heard many stories from frustrated medical assistant program graduates not being able to find a job, and those who did, say their jobs are not paying well enough to consider staying in the field.

However, there ARE countless satisfied medical assistants that work side by side with LPN's and RN's in well respected positions, such as health clinics, medical offices, even schools, and public institutions on local and state level, such a correctional facilities, and from time to time, the City Health Department.

Not all medical assistants are doomed to labor in a small medical office at minimum pay without hope for a raise or progress. While an inexperienced medical assistant may not have much of a choice other than to start with just $20,000 in the first year, fully experienced medical assistants can earn as much as $40,000, or more in a year.

Medical assistants fresh out of school are not without hope! As awareness among employers about the medical assistant's qualifications grows, and the range of related healthcare positions increases they just need to know where to look and how to be better prepared.

City and government jobs are now being offered more frequently to medical assistants than ever before. These positions are an excellent avenue for advancement and better pay. For example, in 2007 a Director of Nursing in Philadelphia hired new certified medical assistants at $32,000 annual salary, plus a hefty benefit package of 12 sick days, 2 weeks vacation, 4 personal days, 11 paid holidays, and all weekends off!!!

Other advantages are weekend shifts, rarely seen in a doctor's office, but common in health clinics, where Saturdays pay time and 1/2, and Sundays are double-time pay. Often, these positions also come with annual uniform allowances, continuing education reimbursement, and periodic performance reviews coupled with a raise.

Nevertheless, those who haven't been so lucky to land one of these well paid jobs yet should not give up and neglect their skills. Maintaining your medical assistant certification and continuing your education, as well as keeping an up-to-date resume on file, just in case, is a sure way to keep the possibilities and doors open.

In the meantime, realize that another avenue is teaching! Teaching a medical assisting course, such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, or clinical skills at a local community college can be a good side job for extra income.

Just about every community college and local career training institutions hire medical assistants to teach the MA program to their students. Medical assistant instructors must be certified, have at least three years of experience in the field, and of course, be outgoing, and able to teach. They also need administrative and secretarial staff, as well as career guidance counselors and mentors.

Some use their talents tutoring medical assistant students over the Internet, while others illustrate medical books, write articles, and edit chapters for some of the largest textbook publishers.

So, if you asked me, and thousands other seasoned medical assistants, they will tell you that it sounds like a great career to be in.

To learn more about educational requirements, and practical tips for handling emergencies, and proper documentation visit Medical Assistant Net on the Web. There is lots of additional "scope of practice for medical assistants" info at that web site.

The Salary Question....

A much discussed topic among new medical assistants is their salary. Low medical assistant pay, and whether the medical assisting profession should be more regulated by the state to increase standards, and wages is a much debated topic in our active Medical Assistant Web Forum.

Many are so discouraged, they are torn. It is obvious that they find the medical assisting career attractive, and they'd love to work in the medical office under the direct supervision of a licenced health care provider, but on the other hand, they are thinking about going into the nursing field for the money instead.

I wish I had all the answers for those who are frustrated, undecided, under the crunch, or in a slump. Because a career path is such an individual choice, and without going into the pros and cons of personal reasons for becoming a medical assistant, or LPN, I can share the following food for thought.

Here are some of my own awareness and decision making exercises in hopes that they serve as a guide, or inspiration. Whenever I have to make career choice, or arrived at a cross to advance in a certain direction, these are some of the things I always ask myself about myself, and my work situation first. Knowing the answers helps me to remain competitive and on the right track, which includes getting what I want (not just give what others want) out of my career, and the right salary.

An employee may not have the final say-so over their salary, but they have the power to create a true win-win situation, if they know the following about their job and themselves.... But never forget, first and foremost the old saying: "Know thyself first!".

1. What is a successful person?
2. What does my career mean to me?
3. How do I do my best every day?
4. How can I improve?
5. How do I build rapport with my employer
6. What is "give value first"?
7. What is the best way to add value?
8. How do I find a mentor?
9. What causes my fear of failure?
10. What should I do with my spare time?
11. How can I invest my time, not spend it?
12. What is the best way to impress my boss?
13. How am I helping to build the business?
14. What do I have to do to get ahead?
15. How do I show my value and create awareness of it?
16. What value do I bring beyond my job description?
17. How do I show that I am loyal?
18. How approachable and cooperative am I?
19. What am I "known" for?
20. What am I recognized as being the best for?
21. What do others in the industry say about me?
22. What is the best time and way to ask for a raise?
23. What is the best way to approach my boss?
24. How can I make my request stand out?
25. What is the best way to follow up?

(Drum-roll) And here the final "AHA"!

26. How much do I love what I do here?
27. What does it take to keep me here?
28. Do I need to look for a job elsewhere?

Opportunities abound in the medical assisting field. The key to success is knowing yourself first, knowing your job, knowing your boss, and knowing the job market. If your boss realizes your value to the success of the practice and patients... chances are s/he will reason with you, and reward you to keep you.

If not, too bad! Know what you want, and what you have to offer, let your boss know what you have to offer, and what you want, and just in case the relationship doesn't work out... always have your resume up-to-date and ready to go.

To learn more about educational requirements, and practical tips for handling emergencies, and proper documentation visit Medical Assistant Net on the Web. There is lots of additional "scope of practice for medical assistants" info at that web site.

Medical Assistant Career Outlook

Okay, you have heard it over and over again: medical assisting will be one of the fastest growing occupational healthcare services in the USA through the year 2010. And guess what? It is true!


Recent US Job Market Trend AnalysisHealth care employment has increased by 264,000 jobs over the year 2005, according to a September 2, 2005 statement by BLS Commissioner Kathleen P. Utgoff.


Medical Assistant's OutlookMedical assistants held about 365,000 jobs in 2002. Sixty percent worked in physicians' offices; 15 percent worked in hospitals, including in- and outpatient healthcare facilities. The rest were employed in nursing homes, offices of other health practitioners and other healthcare facilities.

Read: US Department of Labor


US Bureau of Labor Statistics for Medical Assistants:Currently, about 12 million people work in the healthcare industry in the United States, which includes approximately 800,000 physicians in ambulatory (primary), secondary (specialty) and tertiary care, along with 2.1 million RN's and 500,000 medical assistants. The need for medical assistants is expected to continue to grow.

Medical Assistants are on the Move!
Medical assistants are moving into every direction. Their training may qualify them for a variety of other related administrative support occupations such as medical records clerk or medical billing and coding specialist. Some may become medical assisting instructors, while others may continue their own education and work on an associate degree in medical assisting.

There are many job opportunities for medical assistants and more places to work than just physician's offices. Medical Assistants can work in...

• Physician's and healthcare practitioner's medical offices (private and group practices)
• Specialty and subspecialty offices (ophthalmology, podiatry)
• General medical and surgical hospitals
• Offices owned by licensed health practitioners
• Outpatient medical care centers
• Other ambulatory medical services (e.g. emergency services)

Others find work with...

• Ambulatory hemodialysis clinics
• Temporary staffing agencies
• Home healthcare agencies
• Schools
• Rehab clinics and spas
• Correctional facilities and prisons
• Pharmacies
• Chiropractors, dentists, or veterinarians
• US Department of Veterans Affairs

Medical Assistant's Earnings:Medical assistant salary range surveys indicated that the average monthly salaries for entry level medical assistants currently range from $1,600 to $1,760 net per month, compared with a range of $1,500 to $1,600 net three years ago.

After two years of experience average monthly salaries range from $1,900 to $2,200 monthly net; mostly depending on where you live and also what type of medical office. Specialists pay more than general family physicians.

Medical Assistants generally receive higher salaries and more benefits than those without certification credentials.Private Practice vs. HospitalSingle doctors' offices, especially specialty physicians often pay more than hospitals.