Salary Information for Medical Assistants in New Jersey
Keeping doctors and nurses on schedule to deal with patients, medical assistants take care of the clerical work that an office or hospital needs to run smoothly. This may include scheduling appointments, filing papers, preparing patient rooms, checking patient vital signs and helping to administer tests or immunizations. In 2009, medical assistants earned higher salaries in New Jersey than the country's average.
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Facts
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Shepherding patients through their appointments, medical assistants across the country averaged a 2009 median salary of $29,450 per year, according to a wages study by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the approximately 12,450 medical assistants in the Garden State, salaries averaged higher than the rest of the country with an annual mean wage of $31,560.
Ranges
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Although the New Jersey average salary for medical assistants was higher than the rest of the country in 2009, the breakdown in what these professionals earned was widely varied across the board. The top earners in the state made an average of $43,690 at the 90th percentile, while the bottom 10th percentile of earners received an annual mean wage of $24,140.
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Considerations
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No one particular point of entry is required to earn a salary as a medical assistant in New Jersey, but many community colleges and technical schools offer one- or two-year certificate, diploma or associate's degree programs to help prepare a candidate for the position. On-the-job training is usually available. To separate themselves from other New Jersey applicants, candidates may want to seek credentials from the American Association of Medical Assistants or the Association of Medical Technologists.
Outlook
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the field of medical assisting to continue to be one of the fastest-growing professions in the country, expanding 34 percent and adding 163,900 jobs across the country through 2018. The BLS suggests that candidates who have earned certifications as medical assistants will have the best opportunities to secure salaries.
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