Medical Assistants

Median salary

$45,690

Average salary

$46,120

Employment

817,870

Projected growth

12.5% growth

Annual openings

112,300

Typical entry education

Postsecondary nondegree award

What Medical Assistants Do

Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 4.8/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.5/5
Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.3/5
Administrativeimportance 4.1/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.8/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.5/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5
Therapy and Counselingimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Contact With Others5.0/5
Exposed to Disease or Infections4.7/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.6/5
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.6/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Psychiatric Aides97% skill match
Public Safety Telecommunicators97% skill match
Tellers96% skill match
Occupational Therapy Assistants96% skill match
Office Clerks, General96% skill match
Psychiatric Technicians96% skill match
Phlebotomists96% skill match
Correctional Officers and Jailers96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.5/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.5/5
Instructingimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Persuasionimportance 2.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cooperation
Integrity
Empathy
Cautiousness
Social Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
SocialMedium
RealisticMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.