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Medical assistants take care of different functions in offices, hospitals and other medical establishments. Some perform administrative tasks, such as supervising the waiting room, organizing patient schedules and keeping records. Others measure the patient’s vital signs, height and weight before the doctor examines them. An estimated 539,220 individuals worked as medical assistants in the United States in May 2011.
National Wage Statistics
In 2011, medical assistants working in the United States earned an average of US $ 14.51 per hour. The average of all salaries reported by medical assistants to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2011 was US $ 13.99, and the average half of medical assistants earned between US $ 11, 86 and US $ 16.87 per hour. During the same year, the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) found that these workers charged an average of US $ 14.67 per hour, since the average initial pay for a medical assistant was about US $ 12, 88 hour.
Salary by region
The American Association of Medical Assistants found that workers in the Pacific region earned the best salaries in 2011, with an average of US $ 16.85 per hour. The BLS reported that Alaska was the state that paid the best, with an average of US $ 18.84 per hour, followed by DC with US $ 17.79, Massachusetts with US $ 17.36, Hawaii with US $ 16.60 and the state of Washington with US $ 16.57. The region that paid the least, according to AAMA, was the region of the south-central south states, such as Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, where the average salary reported was US $ 13.29 per hour.
Pay according to employment situation
According to the BLS, more than half of the medical assistants were employees of doctors’ offices in 2011, and earned an average of US $ 14.63 per hour. Those who worked in general hospitals earned an average of US $ 14.91 per hour, while those who worked in outpatient centers earned an average of US $ 15.24 per hour. Medical assistants at dentists’ offices received a relatively high average of US $ 17.18 per hour. The AAMA reports that certified medical assistants received an average of US $ 14.94 per hour, while uncertified ones earned US $ 13.43.
Generalities of the occupation
According to the BLS, jobs as medical assistants expect growth of 31% in the decade from 2010 to 2020, more than double expected for the US economy as a whole. This will result in about 162,900 new jobs at the end of the period. Job prospects and average pay are expected to be better for attendees with post-secondary training and certificates. Certification can be obtained through several associations, including the National Association of Health Providers, the Association of American Medical Technicians, and the American Association of Medical Assistants.