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Medical Assistant Salary

The Medical Assistant salary varies based on the skill level, experience and the state or location in which the medical assistant works. If you are looking to get a high salary medical assistant job, we suggest you to continue reading this article.

What does a Medical Assistant do:
Medical Assistants generally perform administrative and clinical tasks under the guidance of a physician. Administrative tasks include attending calls, scheduling appointments, maintaining the medical records, billing and coding the information for insurance. Clinical tasks include recording Patient’s medical history, vital signs and examination results, preparing the examination room for physician’s examination, keeping the environment neat and well lighted, cleaning and sterilizing the instruments used during examination, disposing the instruments after their use, explaining the physician’s instruction on diet, prescription, and medication to patients, collecting the lab specimens like blood, urine and tissues.

How to get a High Medical Assistant Salary:
Though you can get a medical assistant job with just a high school diploma and basic on-job training, we strongly recommend you to undergo formal certifications and complete a college degree, if your aim is to receive a high medical assistant salary. Medical assistants without college degree and proper training often end up in an entry level position with a low salary. Their salary is typically in the range of $18,000 to $22,000 per year.

There are two things that can help you in getting a high medical assistant salary – education and training. A medical assistant who has completed college and has undertaken proper training earns closer to $33,000 a year. This amount can vary based on the job location and the place of employment. Medical assistants employed in general hospitals and surgical hospitals are generally paid higher salaries and medical assistants employed in outpatient centers and private hospitals are paid closer to $30,000 a year. Medical Assistant Certification can help you earn a high salary. A medical assistant certification indicates that you have met certain standards of knowledge which will help you distinguish from an entry level medical assistant. There are associations that offer certification in specialties such optometry, podiatry and ophthalmology. You can be certified in one of these specialties or undergo a general medical assistant certification.

Medical Assistant salary is greatly influenced by the place in which a medical assistant works. You can expect a higher salary, if you are living in a place where cost of living is high. On the other hand, your salary could be lower if you live in place where the cost of living is less.

A rightly skilled medical assistant could get as high as $40,000 per year. As you know, that is certainly a good salary to lead a descent living, but not a great salary. If you are interested in teaching, you can teach medical assistance in schools and colleges which can be highly rewarding. A medical assistance teacher earns around $49,000 a year on an average.

Quick Guide:
– If you can relocate, look for a medical assistant job in states like California, Florida, Ohio, Texas and Massachusetts. The average salary in these states is high compared to other states. The cost of living in these states may be high, but if you are careful with your spending, you can definitely save more.
– Complete a college degree
– Undergo medical assistant training
– Complete a medical assistant certification
Medical assistance teaching jobs can pay 20% to 30% higher salary than a medical assistant job

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