Medical Skilled Trades
Medical Assistant
Medical assistants do both clinical and office tasks in doctors' offices and clinics, from taking vital signs to scheduling appointments. The field is growing much faster than average.
1.Career snapshot
- Role
- Medical Assistant
- Pay (planning range)
- $35K–$55K+ Wealth Playbook guide, 2026
- Training time
- 9–18 months
- Pathway
- Patient Care
- Demand
- Employment of medical assistants is projected to grow 13 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.
- Patient contact
- High
- Occupation code
- SOC 31-9092 · O*NET 31-9092.00
- Career advancement potential
2.What you'll do
Everyday work and where it happens
You might start by rooming patients: asking about their medical history, measuring blood pressure and weight, and entering it in the record. Through the day you help the physician with exams, collect blood or other samples for the lab, and, where state law allows, give injections. In between you answer phones, book appointments and keep supplies stocked.
Typical duties
- Interview patients and record their medical history
- Measure vital signs such as blood pressure and weight
- Help physicians with patient examinations
- Give injections or medications as directed by physicians and as permitted by state law
- Collect and prepare blood and other specimens for lab tests
- Schedule appointments and enter patient information into medical records
- Where you could work
- Offices of physicians, Hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Offices of other health practitioners
- Schedule
- Most medical assistants work full time. Some work evening, weekend or holiday shifts in facilities that are open around the clock.
- Physical demands
- Some medical assistants spend much of the day standing and walking between patients. Others sit at a computer for much of the day doing office tasks.
- Patient contact
- High
3.How to get there
Education, training, exams and licensing
- Typical training
- Certificate / diploma
- Training time
- 9–18 months
1.Finish high school or an equivalent
Certification bodies ask for it: NHA's CCMA requires a high school diploma or GED (or one scheduled within 18 months).
2.Complete a medical assisting program
Programs at community colleges and vocational or technical schools lead to a certificate or an associate's degree and usually include a supervised practicum. Some employers train on the job or through an apprenticeship instead.
3.Earn a certification (optional but often preferred)
Credentials include the CMA (AAMA), which requires graduating from a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program or another qualifying medical assisting or apprenticeship program (AAMA's Alternative Pathway), and the CCMA from NHA, which accepts a training program or supervised work experience.
4.Check your state's rules
Most states do not require medical assistants to be certified, but some require graduation from an accredited program, a license or certification, or other prerequisites. Many employers also want Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Exams and credentials
- CMA (AAMA) - Certified Medical Assistant (American Association of Medical Assistants)
- CCMA - Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (National Healthcareer Association)
Licensing
Most states do not require medical assistants to be certified, but some states require graduation from an accredited program, licensure or certification, or other prerequisites, and what you may do (for example giving injections) depends on state law. Employers may prefer or require certification. Requirements vary by state; check your state board.
Look up your state's license requirements (opens in a new tab)
4.What it costs
Tuition, fees, exams and financial aid
Costs vary by program.
CMA (AAMA) exam fee: $125 for students and recent graduates; $125 for AAMA members and $250 for nonmembers in other categories (AAMA eligibility page, read October 2026).
Grants, loans and work-study can help pay for an eligible program. Start with the FAFSA at studentaid.gov (opens in a new tab), and ask each program what its total cost includes.
5.What you can earn
Starting, median and experienced pay, and where the figures come from
Planning range
$35K–$55K+
Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026
Local wage data isn't loaded yet, so this is a broad planning range, not a wage figure.
A planning range is broad and has no median: it is for planning, not a promise of pay. Starting, median and experienced wages will show here when BLS wage data is loaded.
For reference only (not this page's pay figure): BLS median, May 2025, national: $45,690 a year (source, opens in a new tab).
6.Jobs near you
Coming soon
We plan to show local openings here once a job-data source is connected. Until then, you can search current listings yourself.
7.Career ladder
Next certifications and roles
- Medical Assistant(this career)
- Specialized Medical Assistant(Some medical assistants work in specialty areas; O*NET lists titles such as ophthalmic assistant, optometric assistant and outpatient surgery assistant.)
- Office / Practice Management(Needs a bachelor's degree: medical and health services managers typically need one, per BLS. BLS notes some managers begin in healthcare office roles such as administrative assistant, medical records specialist or financial clerk.)
8.Your wealth path
From your first paycheck to owning and investing
Train
Certify
Get hired
Advance
Build wealth
Own / invest
Estimated take-home pay
Low end of the planning range: $35,000 a year
About $29,161 a year ($2,430 a month)
High end of the planning range: $55,000 a year
About $44,231 a year ($3,686 a month)
Estimate only. Assumptions: tax year 2026, single filer, the standard deduction, federal income tax, FICA at 7.65%, and a default state income tax rate of 5.00% (choose a state above to use its rate). No retirement contributions or other deductions. The Paycheck calculator uses the same engine.
9.Find training
Free U.S. Department of Labor resources. We don't list or rank schools.
Registered apprenticeships exist for some of these roles. For licensed careers, check that a program meets your state's licensing rules.
10.Compare careers
Save this career and put it beside others
Sources
- Pay: Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026 (a planning range, not wage data).
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical Assistants (opens in a new tab)
- O*NET OnLine: 31-9092.00 Medical Assistants (opens in a new tab)
- AAMA: CMA (AAMA) Certification Exam Eligibility (opens in a new tab)
- NHA: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) (opens in a new tab)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical and Health Services Managers (opens in a new tab)