What is the Job Growth Rate and Salary for a Medical Assistant?

A medical assistant degree is often just the first foray in the career of a burgeoning healthcare professional.

Still, it is a significant step that can lead to the accomplishment of many further personal and financial goals.

In fact, the latest numbers show that medical assistants are in far more demand than ever before. Here are just a few statistics that highlight this fact:

• Solid starting salary – There are a number of factors that determine the starting salary of a medical assistant (MA) most notably educational level, years of experience and geographical location. The typical wage for an MA– with some post-secondary schooling but no degree awarded – is around $15 per hour in most parts of the country. This rate translates into about $32,000 per year .
• Stellar job growth rate – The demand for medical assistants is, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, growing at a much faster rate – upwards of 29% – than the average rate for all other healthcare occupations. The growing population of elderly patients, the increased number of outpatient facilities and the heightened introduction of newer technologies are the main drivers of this growth. Even better, the government experts who compile this data expect this outstanding growth to last for the next decade.
• Outstanding advancement opportunities – Most medical assistants are cross-trained in a variety of clinical and administrative procedures. This fact means that they can advance from a purely patient-oriented job to one with more responsibility overseeing the duties of others. In addition, the attainment of more advanced degrees will also open the door to more prestigious and better-paying jobs. In many cases, an MA can see a doubling of their initial salary over the course of just 3-5 years.
• Enhanced job flexibility – Medical assistants work in a wide variety of environments from hospitals and hospices through outpatient facilities and clinics to private homes – also known as a patient-centered medical home team (PCMH). This rather large number of options allows an MA to coordinate the other needs in their life such as taking care of their own children, attending school or even looking for a better paying job. As a matter of fact, most MAs cite this job flexibility as one of the main reasons that they choose it. It makes it truly easy to balance the tripod of their life – love, work, and play – like no other job.

For more information on the job possibilities available to the recent graduates of a medical assistant program, please reach out to us at the Athena Career Academy.

We will be happy to answer any questions that you have or to schedule a tour of our campus. Find us online at AthenaCareers.edu or reach us directly by phone at 419.329.4075.