Tuesday, November 20, 2012

How Much Do Medical Assistants Earn?

By Natascha Reyes


The work of medical assistants is a combination of administrative tasks such as organizing appointments, updating medical records, and working with insurance papers; as well as patience care where they are responsible for taking vital signs of patients, draw blood, change dressings, and collect lab samples. There are many factors that affect the salary of a medical assistant, such as the work environment, and their education and experience.

Medical assistants can refer to CMA's or certified medical assistants, which are those who have passed certification from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), but it can also refer to those who have undergone on the job training. However, it is the CMA's who enjoy higher salaries compared to those who learn on the job but the salary of a CNA or certified nursing assistant is comparable to medical assistants who haven't been certified.

The salary of a medical assistant will also depend on the length of their work experience; but according to Payscale.com, those with less than 5 years experience have an average salary of $25,000 a year. For those who have worked between 5 to 19 years can expect to make around $28,000 a year, while those with 20 years or more can expect to earn around $32,000 a year. Certified medical assistants with less than 5 years experience can earn around $28,000 a year, and those with 5 to 9 years experience have a median salary of $32,000 a year. CMA's with 10 to 19 years experience earn an average of $34,000 a year, while those with 20 years of experience or more can earn up to $41,000 a year.

Location is also another factor that affects the salaries of medical assistants. Florida medical assistants enjoy some of the highest median salaries of around $29,000 a year, while in Georgia they have some of the lowest at $24,000 a year on average. New York and California are also ideal locations for medical assistants as the average salary is $28,000 a year while CMA's can earn as much as $37,000 a year; whereas Texas has an average of about $25,000 a year. If you are looking for a location that pays well, also remember that salaries may vary depending on the city even if it's within the same state.

Work environment and the kind of office may also determine medical assistant salary; those employed within the family medicine industry can expect yearly incomes of around $23,000 a year while those in obstetrics and gynecology earn around $24,000 a year. Other medical offices average around $26,000 to $28,000 a year, but hospitals also ranked as those among the higher pay scales at around $30,000 a year for medical assistants.

Larger companies also offer higher salaries for medical assistants; according to Payscale.com, those who work for companies with less than 600 employees have an average salary of $26,000 to $28,000 a year. Those who work for companies who employ 600 to 5,000 people have an average salary of $36,000 a year but those who work for companies with more than 50,000 employees can earn around $28,000 a year.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment