When almost all sectors of the economy are losing jobs because of the recent economic recession, the healthcare industry, in contrast, are adding jobs by the thousands. More than six hundred thousand new jobs were created in the last two years, in fact, during the darkest days of the recession. In contrast, manufacturing companies lay off more than two millions of their workers during this same time frame. Last December alone, there were 22,000 new jobs in the healthcare field and one of the most in demand jobs is that of medical assistants.
Although medical assistant salary is not at par with the salaries of these two other careers. But if you take into consideration the amount of time and training between those careers, medical assistant salary is very competitive. The only requirement to be a medical assistant is a high school diploma, but nevertheless, you must possess certain traits and characteristics to be hired and be successful in this field. Since you will be directly interacting with patients and the physician, you must have a very strong communication skill.
This is the job security that people are looking for in the time when other sectors are laying off workers. If you’re a medical assistant, aside from the job security, for sure you’re enjoying a stable and competitive medical assistant salary. There are variations in the amount of medical assistant salary based on a few things. As you’ve probably know, the starting salary for any job is naturally lower than those that have been working on the job much longer.
There is no federal law that sets a standard on how much medical assistants receive, that’s why different States have different medical assistant salary. Medical assistants in Michigan receive lower medical assistant salary compared to those working in Hawaii. Putting it in numbers, the starting medical assistant salary is usually around $20,600 a year, and based on factors discussed earlier, it can go as high as $39,970 in annual compensation. From that starting salary, you will earn higher because half of the total number of medical assistants are earning $23,700 and $33,050 a year in May 2008.
Medical assistants in hospitals receive higher salaries compared to those working in physicians’ offices, earning $30,830 and $29,810 respectively. A medical assistant working in a particular industry has a different salary amount to those working in other industries. If you’re just starting your medical assistant career, you will most like get a salary of $20,600 but you can increase this overtime to as much as double that, especially if you finished formal trainings and a certification. If you’re one of those people who lost their jobs because of the economic recession, don’t lose hope because you can always change careers.
Medical assistants are an integral part of the whole healthcare team. Medical assistants should account for a very large number of new jobs, as projected by the government, because many people are seeking healthcare from various healthcare professionals. If you’re just starting on a career, or planning to shift to a new one, being a medical assistant should be perfect for you. What more would you want than a highly competitive medical assistant salary, great job prospect and security, and a highly rewarding and satisfying career in medical assisting.
By going to the medical assistant pay site you’ll be able to read more on this.
Tags: finances, business, Medical, income, business and finances, wages, medical assistant, employment