Medical Assistant Wages and Pay

Medical assistants were already in high demand. In many cases it was easier for those with career specific training to obtain available jobs. The average pay for a medical assistant was $9.71 an hour.

The medical assistants earnings varied, depending on experience, skill level, and location. The median annual earnings in different segments of the industry were as follows:

MA Wage and Salary	1997 Earnings
Offices and clinics of medical doctors	$20,800
Hospitals	20,400
Offices of osteopathic physicians	19,600
Health and allied services, nec	19,300
Offices of other health practitioners	18,500

 

In 1998 medical assistants held about 252,000 jobs. Sixty-five percent were in physicians’ offices, and 14 percent were in offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists. The rest were in hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities.

Median annual earnings of medical assistants were $20,680 in 1998. The middle 50 percent earned between $17,020 and $24,340 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $14,020 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $28,640 a year.

In 1999, there were about 450 medical assisting programs accredited by CAAHEP and over 140 accredited by ABHES. The Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Personnel accredited 14 programs in ophthalmic medical assisting. Growth in outpatient settings was much faster than average.

In 2001 the U.S. Department of Labor preidcted that Medical Assisting would be one of the 10 fastest growing occupations through the year 2008 and stated that job prospects should be best for medical assistants with formal training or experience.

The earnings of medical assistants varied, depending on their experience, skill level, and location of employ. Median annual earnings of medical assistants were $26,290 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $21,970 and $31,210. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,860, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $36,840. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical assistants in May 2006 were:

2008 has come and gone and the prediction were correct while, the U.S. Department of Labor continues to predict that employment of medical assistants is expected to grow 35 percent from 2006 to 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations.

As the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, there will be an increased need for all health care workers. Increasing use of medical assistants in the rapidly growing health care industry will further stimulate job growth.

Employment growth will be driven by the increase in the number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly the flexible medical assistant who can handle both administrative and clinical duties.

Helping to drive job growth is the increasing number of group practices, clinics, and other health care facilities that need a high proportion of support personnel, particularly medical assistants who can handle both administrative and clinical duties. In addition, medical assistants work primarily in outpatient settings, a rapidly growing sector of the health care industry.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor (2001)

   U.S. Department of Labor (2008)