Certified Medical Assistant Salaries
Medical assistants assist physicians and health providers with their office administration and patient load. Small clinics may have one assistant who helps in all departments but large practices can have many assistants who specialize in certain departments. Medical assistants differ from physician assistants by not assisting physicians in diagnosis and treatment of patients.
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Education
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Training is available in vocational high schools, technical schools and community colleges. Generally, diploma or certificate programs require one year to complete and associate degree programs take two years. Courses include anatomy, medical terminology, transcription, keyboarding and insurance processing. Clinical courses cover laboratory and diagnostic procedures, pharmacology and first aid. If the attendee is going to an accredited school she may have to intern with a health care facility to gain experience. Some medical assistants have no formal training but advancing in your career may require graduating from an approved program.
Specialization
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Assistants can specialize in administration, clinical and medical practice types. Administrative medical assistants complete all necessary forms and make patient hospital or laboratory appointments. Clinical medical assistants perform preliminary examinations and gather patient histories. They may perform more advance duties such as drawing blood and authorizing prescription refills depending on the laws in the state where they work. Other assistants may specialize in a particular practice area such as optometry or podiatry.
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Certification
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The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) offers certification of assistants as does the American Medical Technolgists (AMT) and others. Your school will assist you in determining the association that will best fit your needs. Practice specific certification is also available.
Income
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In 2009, there were 495,970 medical assistants in the United States. Salaries ranged from $20,750 to $39,970 per year. The mean annual wage was $29,450. Most assistants were employed in physician's offices although those working in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals made the most money, averaging $29,810 per year.
Geographical Considerations
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California had the highest concentration of workers with 76,290 certified medical assistants. There were 5.25 out of every 1,000 workers in California working as certified medical assistants. These assistants made an annual mean wage of $30,980 in 2009. Certified medical assistants working in the District of Columbia -- where there were 1,260 assistants -- were making an annual mean wage of $37,790, which was a higher average than any other state. Certified medical assistants in St. George, Utah, which had the highest concentration of workers of any metropolitan area, were making an annual mean wage of $26,890. The Vallejo-Fairfield area of California had the highest paid assistants of any metropolitan area where they were making an annual mean wage of $43,010.
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