Medical assisting is a rewarding career that offers job security, strong growth potential, and professional and emotional fulfillment. Certified medical assistants are an essential element of the holistic healthcare team—ultimately ensuring the wellness and health of their patients.
If you’re considering a career in this exciting field, you’re probably wondering, “Are medical assistants in high demand?”
Present day, the medical assistant job outlook proves positive, with two important dynamics significantly furthering opportunities in this space:
- In 2010, the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) made health insurance more accessible and affordable to millions of Americans. Expanding the healthcare reform law also created a growing need for medical services and trained professionals to administer patient care.
- Furthermore, The United States Census Bureau confirmed in 2020 that the baby-boom population is steadily advancing. As a result, the demographic is progressively escalating the nation’s need for fundamental facilities and support staff, like medical assistants.
Whether working for a clinic, hospital, or practice, medical assistants are widely in-demand as they are needed to ensure that administrative and clinical operations are run effectively and efficiently.
What Medical Assistants Do
Under the direction of a physician, medical assistants perform administrative and clinical tasks in healthcare facilities like doctor’s offices, hospitals, and more.
Professional responsibilities for medical assistants include:
- Administering basic healthcare, medical treatments, and medications
- Applying bandages, dressings, or splints
- Assessing the physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment
- Educating patients on technical information
- Maintaining medical records
- Recording vital signs and medical histories, and
- Scheduling appointments
Where Medical Assistants Work
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that medical assistants held 743,500 jobs in 2021 in various industry settings and specialties.
The top three employers of medical assistants across the country are:
- Physician offices — 58% of medical assistants were employed by doctor’s offices.
- Local, state, and private hospitals — 15% of medical assistants worked in hospitals.
- Outpatient care centers — 9% of medical assistants were hired by outpatient centers.
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Occupational Outlook: Pay and Projections
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average wage for medical assistants in 2022 was $40,700 annually.
The medical assistant field is projected to grow 16% from 2021 to 2031—much faster than the national average for all occupations—resulting in 123,000 career openings each year over the decade.
In 2022, 9,760 medical assistants worked in Connecticut, with an annual average salary of $43,920.
The top three regions with the highest average annual salaries for medical assistants, as identified by the Connecticut Department of Labor, are:
- Bridgeport, Stamford — Medical assistants in Bridgeport and Stamford earned an average annual wage of $45,084.
- Hartford — Medical assistants in Hartford made an average of $44,646 annually.
- New London/ Norwich — Medical assistants in New London and Norwich earned an average annual income of $42,973.
Notably, the Connecticut Department of Labor predicts that there will be an average of 1,267 job openings for medical assistants annually from 2020 to 2030, offering resident candidates strong demand and excellent job opportunities.
Non-Clinical Opportunities
The top-paying industries for medical assistants nationally may also surprise you. The data below demonstrates that there is also significant non-clinical demand for medical assistants.
As specified by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top three industries for medical assistant compensation (and the earnings in each sector) include:
- Insurance Carriers — Medical assistants working for insurance carriers made an annual average wage of $51,410.
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services — Medical assistants hired by management, scientific, and technical consulting services earned an annual average salary of $51,150.
- Junior Colleges — Medical assistants employed by junior colleges made an annual average income of $50,680.
Crucial Skills for Medical Assisting Career Success
To achieve success in the field, it’s important that medical assistants train for and develop the following skills:
- Adaptability
- Administrative and management aptitudes
- Analytical propensities
- Critical thinking
- Communication (Listening, speaking, and writing)
- Coordination (including fine and large motor movements)
- Customer service and servant leadership
- Medical education and training experience
- Emotional intelligence (including active listening and social perception)
- Monitoring
- Organized and detail-oriented
- Psychology and mental health understanding, and
- Technology capacities (such as applications, computers, and electronics)
If you’re considering a healthcare career, enrolling in a certificate in medical assisting program can help you earn a medical assisting distinction, study for the Certified Medical Assistant Examination, and shape your success in the field.
Today, career-focused institutions like Goodwin University provide flexible medical assisting programs—with classes offered in the morning, evening and a mix of on-campus, online, and hybrid courses available. By designing the medical assisting distinction with students in mind, future medical assistants can conveniently study on their schedule and complete their career goals.
To learn about Goodwin University’s medical assisting programs, call 800-889-3282 or request more information today!