Medical Assistant Wages and Pay

Employers realize the benefits of having medical assistants in their practice and are readily hiring them into various positions at various levels of pay. Like in any other job, medical assistants are paid according to their level of training, specialty knowledge and years of experience. Typically, less than 1 year, 1 - 4 years, 5 - 9 years, 10 - 19 years, or 20+ years can make a big difference in a medical assistant's salary. Those who are certified and work in a specialty office, hospital or alternative medical and treatment facility usually earn more right from the start. Check out the ongoing discussion on "starting medical assistant pay" on our active forum.

How Much Can a Medical Assistant Earn?

Starting pay for a new medical assistant typically is $12 per hour depending on the position and location of the office. Initially, entry level pay is low, but after a few months employers are willing to grant a raise. An experienced medical assistant can easily make $15-$18 hourly wages; also, if they have special skills, such as being fluent in another language (bi-lingual), they can expect a little more pay. Also, specialty doctors typically pay more than primary care physicians.

Medical Assistant Pay

After 2-3 years of experience in the field, the national average monthly salaries for medical assistants usually range around $38,000 per year. According to the Departmen of Labor statistics on average national wages for medical assistants, the top ten percent earned up to $38,000 based on their education, credentials, certifications, years of experience, practice specialty, and location.

How Much Is $38,000 Salary Per Hour?

As a simple hourly pay baseline calculation, you can assume 2 weeks of paid vacation per year. That leaves 50 working weeks, and if you work a typical 40 hours per week, then you have a total of 2,000 hours of work each year. In this case, you can quickly compute the hourly wage by dividing the annual salary by 2000. Your yearly salary of $38,000 is then equivalent to an average hourly wage of $19 per hour.

Which Medical Office Specialty Pays Medical Assistants More?

Medical assistants working in a family practice usually earn between $10.50 - $11.50 per hour. Although family physicians and general practitioners maintain a huge patient base and treat a wide range of conditions, from allergies, to respiratory infections, to broken bones, they cannot afford to pay their staff the same wages a specialty physician typically can.

Salaries in Primary Care, Specialty Care, or Regional Medical Centers?

Primary care provider services are essential to the healthcare system, however, despite of the wide variety of skills and huge range of responsibilities the medical assistant under their employ must handle, they usually pay less medical assistant wages than specialty doctors such as in dermatology, allergy and immunology, otolaryngology, or gastroenterology can pay.

• Pay in a Private Practice vs. Medical Centers
  Private practice doctors and specialty physicians often pay more than medical centers.
  
• Pay from Primary Care Physicians vs. Specialty Care Physicians
  Primary care, e.g. family physicians, pay considerably less than specialty care physicians.
  
• Certified vs. Non-Certified Medical Assistant Pay
  Professionals with certifications generally receive better pay and benefits than those without certifications.

 

• Medical Assistant Wages - Pay - Benefits
  
  Insight into the medical assistant's wages and pay. In comparing primary and specialty care ... Who pays medical assistants more?
• Medical Assitant Pay Raise and Promotion