Medical Assistant Salary Information
The expected medical assistant salary varies depending on geographical location, industry and work experience. Medical assistants perform clinical as well as administrative duties under a physician’s direction. The salary for medical assistant employees is also determined by the job duties they are hired to perform. Some medical assistants work directly with patients while others primarily perform clerical duties.
Hourly Medical Assistant Salary Workers
Job experience also makes a difference in how much the average medical assistant is paid. The medical assistant salary for new employees with less than one year of experience is $9.98 per hour, which represents about 10 percent of medical assistants in the country. By comparison, the national average wages for medical assistants is $13.77 per hour. However, the medical assistant salary for those with experience, which represents 90 percent of medical assistants, is $19.21 hourly.
Annual Salary
The annual salary for medical assistant workers is calculated from the hourly mean wage multiplied by full time employment of 2,080 hours. Twenty five percent of medical assistants employed in the U.S. make $24,060 yearly. Ninety percent of medical assistants make approximately $40,000 per year.
Medical Assistant Salary by Location
In the year 2009, there were approximately 496,000 medical assistants working in the United States. At that time, the state with the highest paying medical assistant salary was Alaska; where 1,030 medical assistants were paid $36,400 annually. The state of Massachusetts paid 12,770 medical assistants $34,490 yearly. The annual medical assistant salary for 6,340 workers in Connecticut was $34,200.
Medical Assistant Salaries by Industry
The industry in which a medical assistant works also influences their wages. Medical assistants who worked in doctor’s offices in 2009 totaled 307,690. On average, the medical assistant salary for workers in this industry was approximately $29,000. Medical assistant salaries for employees of psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals were the highest at more than $46,000. Other industries that pay among the highest salaries include dentists’ offices (about $35,000), scientific research ($30,000) and colleges and universities ($31,000).
Job Opportunities
The prospects for finding medical assistant jobs in the future are excellent. This means that the job openings in comparison to those looking for jobs will be more numerous than in other occupations. The U.S. Department of Labor ranks medical assistants as one of the most rapid growing occupations for the decade beginning with 2008. The highest medical assistant salary is predicted to be paid for those with formal training, especially those with certification. Medical assistants who can perform both clinical and administrative duties are also in high demand.
Expected Growth
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment in this occupation is expected to grow at a rate much faster than average. This translates to an expected growth of more than 20 percent. It is predicted that the number of medical assistants will grow to 647,500 by the year 2018. Medical assistant salaries are expected to increase as the demand for health care workers increases and older workers begin to retire. In addition, the increasing number of clinics, medical practices and healthcare facilities increases need for more medical assistant personnel.
