How Much Do Clinical Medical Assistants Make in the United States?
Clinical MAs in the USA draw around $16 per hour and $32,500 per annum on an average (more detailed figures from different sources outlined in the table below):
Average Salary Estimates of Clinical Medical Assistants in the USA from Distinct Sources
Thus, as can be seen above, purely in financial terms, the clinical medical assistant career stream pays rather handsomely as compared to other entry-level medical jobs. Compared to the other professions, the years of study and course fee you would need to spend on becoming a clinical MA is considerably lesser. You can start earning in less than a year, and in fact, higher than many other professions. Thus, all in all, clinical medical assisting seems to be quite a financially profitable way forward to shape your career.
Clinical Medical Assistant Salaries by State
Location wise there are considerable differences in the average wages offered for clinical medical assistants. Many employees select a state that is known for furnishing amongst the highest salaries in the country for clinical assisting. Knowing which states pay the highest and which pay amongst the least is helping to shape your financial goals accordingly.
Thus, in the table below, we have outlined a list of all states in the USA (in alphabetical order) with average hourly and annual payouts:
Clinical Medical Assisting Salaries by State (Hourly and Annual)
As can be seen above, as per hourly wages, Wisconsin ($28.74) and Montana ($29.56) are the states in the USA that pay the highest to their clinical Medical Assistants. Thus those looking for a considerably high hourly pay can look at these states for any open vacancies. As per average annual salary figures, Massachusetts ($47,493), Alaska ($49722), Rhode Island ($44,025), New York ($43,824), and Connecticut ($43,119) pay the highest to clinical medical assistants in the USA.
On the other hand, the state of Alabama paid the lowest hourly wages to Clinical Medical Assistants on an average ($11.94 per hour). New Mexico ($12.57) and Missouri ($12.78) were the other states that paid amongst the least hourly compensation to USA’s clinical MAs. As per annual salary figures, Alabama was found to pay the lowest package of $23,897 per year. South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi were the other states that recorded the lowest annual wages for Clinical Medical Assistants.
Clinical Medical Assistant Salary by Years of Experience
The compensation you’re paid depends on the amount of relevant experience you bring along to your job. Here we have enlisted both hourly pays and annual wages as per years of experience of clinical MAs:
Hourly Salaries of Clinical Medical Assistants by Years of Experience in the United States:
Source: payscale.com as of Aug 02, 2020
Entry Level clinical MAs (with experience of less than a year) earn, on average, $12.91 per hour, including all bonuses and tips. A mid-level clinical medical assistant (with 5+ years of experience) can expect considerably more ($15.47 per hour). Ones way ahead in their career earn around $17 per hour of total compensation.
Annual Salaries of Clinical Medical Assistants by Years of Experience in the United States:
Source: glassdoor.com as of Jun 9, 2020
In terms of annual wages, entry-level certified Clinical MAs draw around $27,311 on an average in the US. Mid-level clinical Medical Assistants earn a compensation of around $30,465 per year post 4 years of valuable experience. Clinical MAs with considerable experience (10+ years) earn $32,755 + per year. These estimates are based on 13,856 salaries submitted to Glassdoor anonymously by clinical MAs around the country.
Highest Paying Cities for Clinical MAs in the US
We have seen state-wise pay estimates above; however, even city to city differences exist in the compensation structure of clinical MAs in the USA. Your best bet would be to seek clinical medical assisting jobs in the highest paying American cities. It is not always possible to relocate and find jobs outside your location; however, here we have enlisted you with the top cities that pay the highest salaries to clinical medical assistants. Keeping these locations in mind, you can chalk out a plan in the future to seek openings here:
Cities that Pay the Highest Clinical MA Wages:
The average hourly salary (as of Aug 19) of USA’s clinical assistants is estimated at $16.79, and the average annual pay at $33,275. However, depending on where you’re located, you might even draw considerably better salaries than the national average.
Burlington, number one on the list in terms of the average clinical assistant pay ($46,000), is 39% over the nation’s hourly average clinical assisting compensation. If you’re just starting, the best location in terms of an entrant salary package would be this city (average starting pay is $16,000). Other vital cities that pay well to clinical assistants include New York (pays 14% above national average), Clifton (pays 20% above national average), and Palo Alto (pays a whopping 53% above the national average and the highest hourly wage in the US). In terms of states, the highest paying ones include Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.
Clinical Medical Assistant Pay by Skills
Like in any other profession, in Clinical Medical Assisting too, the skills acquired through certifications, programs, and work experience are of immense significance. These skills determine what compensation employers in the industry would render you. Thus key capabilities that are considered most relevant for Clinical MAs when on your resume can distinguish you from your competition. Moreover, these critical skill-sets boost your pay as a clinical Medical Assistant.
One of the key questions people have in their minds whenever starting on a new profession is that what exactly are the most popular skills that they must pursue specific to their career stream. Here, thus we have outlined the skills that all aspiring clinical MAs should consider enriching themselves with sincerely. More so, the hourly wages that these skills can ensure are also enlisted below so that you get a full picture.
Most Popular Skills for Clinical MAs in the USA to Possess and the Associated Wages
Source: payscale.com as of Aug 2, 2020
On the whole, more technical skills that are essential for clinical MAs to discharge their medical duties fetch them higher salaries in the job market. Thus, for instance, skills such as EMR and triage correlate with above-average wages. More generalist skills such as MS office and patient education shall render less than average market pays.
Top 10 Clinical Medical Assistant Employers in the US
While starting on your clinical MA career, it would indeed be helpful to learn about the top companies to work for in the field. These can help you plan right, look at appropriate vacancies and requirements, and acquire training/certificates accordingly. More so, the respective pay each of these popular employers offer to its clinical medical assistants are enclosed here for you to compare:
Popular Companies for Clinical MAs in the USA (indeed.com)
Source: Indeed.com as of Aug 21, 2020
In terms of salaries, Nurse to Nurse staffing is estimated to pay the highest amongst all popular employers ($32.28, i.e., way above the hourly market rate). Other top companies hiring most clinical MAs in the USA include Colorado Mountain Medical, Health Partners, and Central City Concern. Amongst these 10 most popular companies, the least pay was given by Comprehensive Spine and Pain Center, which is still above the average annual income for Clinical Medical Assistants in the US.
Other Popular Companies for Clinical MAs in the USA (payscale.com)
Source: payscale.com as of Aug 2, 2020
Keep in mind the names of these companies while treading ahead so that you can keep a tab on available vacancies.
Compare Salaries with Related Jobs
To get a deeper insight into the pay scale of clinical MAs, it is imperative to learn about salary packages in the market for other related jobs. Professions that are closely related to clinical medical assisting are outlined below alongside the respective salaries offered on an average for each. Compare the clinical assistant’s salary with that of other correlated professions to make an informed judgment about the financial benefits of this career route:
Occupations Related to Clinical Assisting and their Annual Payouts:
Source: zippia.com as of May 18, 2020
The above has been put together so that you can make a comparison of the pay clinical medical assisting offers with that offered by administrative assisting, technician positions, and medical internships. The table above has clinical assisting right at the top with an average payout estimated at $54,000 per year (the exact amount would, of course, depend on your individual experience and skills). The lowest annual pay is seen to be drawn by Medical Office Assistants (only $30,000, i.e., a significant $24,000 lesser than clinical medical assistants). Generalist Medical Assistants earn a little higher than Medical office assistants and administrators ($34,000 per year) but still considerably lesser than clinical MAs.
Thus in terms of Medical Assisting, the clinical specialization seems to be your best bet to maximize financial gains. If you’re, however, looking for alternatives, just below clinical assisting lies the salary package for Medical research assistants ($48,000 per annum). Other related jobs that also pay well include medical service and clinical technicians ($48,000 and $42,000 per year, respectively).
Insight into Hourly Salaries of Other Jobs Related to Clinical Medical Assisting
What kind of other occupations are present in the bandwidth of clinical Medical Assisting in terms of hourly pay? Study the table below to find out the various options available alongside how much each of them would pay you per hour in the long run:
Hourly Salaries for Related Jobs
Source: payscale.com as of Aug 2, 2020
Thus Medical Assisting, administrative assisting, and dental assisting all fall in the same category of $12-$20 per hour of average payments (depending on several factorials such as location, years of practice, etc.)
We have seen above that clinical assisting is financially more rewarding than these other types of medical assisting categories. Still, if you do have to go with the generalist or admin options, all of them would fall under a similar salary bracket as outlined above. However, many people also end up confused as to whether they should become CNAs, i.e., Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) or a Medical Assistant. Purely based on financial grounds, CNAs can expect an average hourly pay of anywhere between $10 and $17. Medical Assistants draw out considerably better salary packages than that.
One profession clinical MAs can endeavor to work towards is to become an RN or a Registered Nurse. The pay is strikingly better, with the minimum hourly wage being $23 and going up to $42 on an average. LPNs also earn an excellent payout with hourly salaries ranging between $16 and $26.
Skills that can Boost the Clinical Medical Assistant Salary
As discussed above, certain skills have the power to impact the pay you can draw from the employers positively. These skills are thus essential to acquire to boost your clinical medical assistant salaries. Here is a list of some critical skills that, when possessed by certified clinical MAs, can enhance the pay you get from the market for your duties discharged. An average percentage hike in income associated with each of these skills is also labeled alongside for your reference:
- Dermatology skills – can increase the salary of the clinical MA by 6%
- Family Practice skills – can increase the compensation of the clinical MA by 3%
- Electronic Medical Records (EMR) – can increase the salary of the clinical MA by 1%
- Triage skills – can increase the salary of the clinical MA by 1%
- Cardiology – can increase the salary of the clinical MA by 1%
Career Path for Clinical Medical Assistants
Clinical MAs have an increasingly promising career path ahead. It is not only due to the insane demand that is there for clinical Medical Assistants today but also thanks to the many other progressions that are possible to capitalize on while treading this path. Yes, with further education Clinical MAs can upgrade into different healthcare positions. These include rewarding and coveted roles of a registered nurse, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner. These, however, have their respective qualification requirements. For instance, for RN, you need to pass the licensing exam and hence attain apt education for the same. These positions do end up paying better and can be the next career step for clinical MAs.
The beauty of medical assisting is that it presents to you the quickest stepping stone to these rewarding healthcare occupations that otherwise take years of study to reach. As your experience increases in years, you can progress into leadership roles gradually. You could upgrade to a clinical supervisor, clinical team leader, lead MA, medical records manager, care coordinator, or MA instructor. It is significant to talk to your employers openly about your career goals and visions. Don’t be shy and actively lookout for opportunities to upgrade within your organization.
Moreover, Clinical MAs can focus on pursuing certain medical specialties. These often include additional certifications; thus, you would need to study further. Specialty career paths can consist of:
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Podiatry
It involves medical interventions for foot-related injuries and ailments. As a podiatric MA, you would assist the physician across post-surgery practices, wound care, splints, and casts. Once done with your basic Clinical MA training, you can pursue the podiatry educational certification too through the American Society of Podiatric Medical Assistants.
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EKG/Cardiology Technician
The heart, as we know, is one of the most important organs of the human body. Learn about cardiovascular systems, particularly in your educational course. Educational requirements include training in the Holter monitor and stress examination techniques. You would be specializing as a cardiology technician. Add-on coursework post-graduation shall enable you to take this up.
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Ophthalmology
Clinical MAs can specialize in taking care of the eyes. Performing diagnostic tests, patient education, and assisting in eye surgeries – to boost this specialized route, you can pursue higher education and get certified via the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology.
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Obstetrics/Gynaecology
This specialty MA field shall have you assisting doctors with Pap testing, gynecological surgeries, and breast examinations. You have to be usually certified as a MA by the AAMA to take up this career route. A separate certification for this specialty may not exist, but you would have to prove your worth via practical training and picking up the skills relevant to the field along the way.
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Pediatric Medical Assistant
These work with pediatricians assisting in child care. If you take up this specialized career path, your education would have to document a sound knowledge of childhood diseases and immunizations. You would also have to demonstrate skills in routine child care activities. Clinical Medical Assisting is exceptionally diverse and offers a range of opportunities, as can be seen above. With add on certification courses and degrees, there is much to learn and grow in terms of similar career positions and advancements.
