Medical assisting is one of the fastest growing career fields and is expected to grow 23% between 2014 and 2024. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median medical assistant salary in the US is $31,540 per year, but what you will actually earn will be affected by many things including location, experience, specialty, and type of medical facility. Let’s take a look at how these factors might affect your salary as a medical assistant.
Work Setting and Specialty
The American Association of Medical Assistants reports that medical assistants who work in ambulatory surgery make an average of $33,487 annually while medical assistants who work in a physician’s office earn an annual average of $31,021, a difference of nearly $2,500. This disparity grows even more significant with experience.
The majority (63%) of medical assistants work in primary care practices, but the AAMA found that medical assistants who work in practices with other medical or surgical specialties make an average of nearly $2,000 more annually than their primary care counterparts.
Perhaps surprisingly, the AAMA did not find a significant difference in annual salaries between medical assistants with one specialty and medical assistants with more than one specialty.
If you would like to be placed in a medical assistant job within the United States, please fill out the form below or call us at 602-468-6300.
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Location
As with most careers, where the job is located will play a significant role in determining your salary. Here are the states with the highest and lowest annual medical assistant salaries:
Highest:
- Alaska ($41,340)
- District of Columbia ($39,500)
- Massachusetts ($38,990)
- Washington ($38,020)
- Minnesota ($37,560)
Lowest:
- West Virginia ($26,210)
- Alabama ($27,280)
- Louisiana ($27,350)
- South Dakota ($28,820)
- New Mexico ($29, 070)
Medical Assistant Salary in Arizona
We are located in Arizona, so let’s take a quick look at what your career as a medical assistant might look like in this state. Arizona has the highest concentration of medical assistant jobs in the country and one of the highest levels of employment for this field. The average medical assistant salary statewide is $32,970, but in the Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale area that average increases to $33,990, nearly $2,500 above the national median. The top 10% of medical assistants in the Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale area earn an average of $47,040 per year.
If you would like to be placed in a medical assistant job within the United States, contact Desert Medical Careers at (602) 468-6300.
Are You Looking for a job as a Medical Assistant?
Desert Medical Careers has a high demand for clinical medical assistants and administrative medical assistants. We are typically able to easily place medical assistants in full-time and part-time positions throughout the Phoenix Metro Area. With over 20 years’ experience placing healthcare employees throughout the Valley, DMC is an expert at matching healthcare workers with their ideal work environment. Contact DMC today at (602) 468-6300.
Resources for this article
- http://www.aama-ntl.org/docs/default-source/about-the-profession-and-credential/cb-survey.pdf?sfvrsn=22
- https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes319092.htm#(9)
- http://www.allalliedhealthschools.com/medical-assisting/medical-assistant-salary/
- http://theemedicalassistants.com/medical-assistant-salary/