How Much Money Does a Medical Assistant Make in a Year Working Full Time?
Medical assistants perform a wide range of clinical and administrative tasks. Depending on the health care facility in which they work, they may focus most of their time on one area. Job prospects for medical assistants are good, with an expected growth rate of 34 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2009.
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Education
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Medical assistants certified by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), Association of Medical Technologists (AMT) or other similar organizations have a better chance of securing a good-paying position than those who are only trained on the job. Having a diploma or certificate from a one- or two-year training program also increases the prospect of finding a job and earning a good salary.
Salary
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The mean annual salary for a medical assistant in the United States is $29,450, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2009. The median salary is $28,650. Those in the 10th percentile for salary (90 percent earn more) earn $20,750 per year, while those in the 90th percentile (10 percent earn less) earn $39,970 per year.
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Employer
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Where a medical assistant works also affects her salary. Hospitals typically pay more than small clinics. Most medical assistants work in the offices of physicians and in general medical/surgical hospitals. The highest-paying employers, however, are psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, where the annual salary averages $46,430. Dentist office medical assistants can earn about $35,920 per year. Those working in scientific and research development average $33,810 per year, while those in specialty hospitals (other than psychiatric or substance abuse) earn $33,750 per year, according to a 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate.
City
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Working in a large city brings a higher salary due to their higher costs of living. The highest-paying metropolitan area in the United States for medical assistants is Vallejo-Fairfield, California, where the average salary is $43,010. In Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, the medical assistant's annual salary is $40,690. Rochester, Minnesota medical assistants earn $38,090 on average each year, while medical assistants in St. George, Utah, which is where the highest concentration of medical assistants in a metropolitan area are located, earn just $26,890, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2009 estimate.
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References
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