Medical Assistant Salary Information
If you're not sure where you'll be working after completing your medical assistant education, finding specific information about your expected medical assistant salary is difficult. However, you can use reports about average medical assistant income to give you a good idea about your future earning potential.
Data from Salary.com and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that medical assistant incomes fall into these ranges:
| Source | Lowest 10 Percent | Average Salary | Highest 10 Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary.com (Oct. 2008) | $23,800 | $28,235 | $32,963 |
| BLS (May 2006) | $18,860 | $26,590 | $36,840 |
Breaking down medical assistant salary based on years of experience, PayScale.com and the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) reports the following wage information:
| Source | 1 - 4 years | 5 - 9 years | 10 Years + |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayScale.com (Sept. 2008) | $24,471 | $27,460 | $29,150 |
| AAMA (2004 survey) | $23,332 - $25,189 | $25,189 - 26,750 | $29,846 |
Factors That Influence Medical Assistant Salary
As in most occupations, medical assistant salaries vary based on these primary factors:
- Education level: The medical field demands continuous education to remain abreast of new technologies and health care practices. Demonstrating a commitment to advancing your knowledge and skills will augment your credentials and help increase your medical assistant income.
- Geographic location: Data from PayScale.com shows that medical assistant salaries are the highest in New York, California and Illinois, and the cities that pay top medical assistant wages include New York City, San Diego, Houston and Chicago.
- Employer type: PayScale.com reports that medical assistants working for the federal government earn the highest median annual salary of $31,458. Colleges and universities pay the next highest income, at $31,070, and hospitals pay the third highest annual wage, at $28,157.
- Years of experience: In the medical assisting profession, experience pays off. According to a 2004 salary survey conducted by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), full-time medical assistant income increases over 30 percent between the first and 10th year of employment.
Beyond these general factors, medical assistants can also increase their income through certification and promotion.
- Certification: Becoming a certified medical assistant not only enhances your credentials and job prospects but, as the AAMA reports, also increases your earning potential. Certified medical assistants earn an average salary of $27,951 per year, approximately $1,200 more than their non-certified counterparts.
- Promotion: The BLS indicates that medical assistants with strong experience, skills and additional education qualify for supervisory roles and may choose to advance to administrative positions in medical offices, which typically pay more than the average medical assistant salary.
In addition, medical assistants can choose to obtain the training necessary to become educators in their field. The AAMA reports that although their incomes vary based on years of experience, nearly 60 percent of medical assistant educators earn an annual salary of $38,000 or more.
Medical Assisting Employment Benefits
According to the AAMA, full-time medical assistants typically receive major medical and dental insurance, plus discount prescriptions. Many employers offer retirement plans, such as 401k or pensions, paid vacations, and sick time. Some employers also provide vision insurance, as well as disability and accidental death coverage. These benefits can add a great deal of value to your overall compensation package and should be taken into consideration as you apply for medical assistant jobs.
Getting Started
The first step toward earning a good medical assistant salary is to complete your education. Find a medical assistant school near you, and take the first step today.
