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What is a clinical medical assistant and how to become one
A clinical medical assistant supports healthcare providers in hospitals and clinics. Their duties include taking vital signs, preparing patients for exams, administering medications, and assisting with minor procedures. They also maintain patient records and communicate with patients about their care plans. Clinical medical assistants work with physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals to ensure patients receive high-quality care. The role requires communication and interpersonal skills, as well as attention to detail and the ability to multitask.
What general advice would you give to a clinical medical assistant?
Aaron Benitez CDA, RDA, RDHAP, MSDH
Dental Assisting Faculty, Articulation Officer, Website
Also, since in California the minimum wage is increasing beyond the amount that a starting Dental Assistant could potentially earn, learning new advanced techniques is more relevant.
Avg. Salary $37,052
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 16%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%
Asian 9.11%
Black or African American 11.06%
Hispanic or Latino 23.34%
Unknown 4.64%
White 51.04%
Genderfemale 89.22%
male 10.78%
Age - 35American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 35Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a clinical medical assistant?
Pros
Varied job duties and responsibilities
Stable employment with consistent demand for medical assistants
Competitive salary and benefits
Opportunity to build interpersonal skills and work in a team environment
Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and evenings
Cons
Physically demanding job that involves standing for long periods of time
Exposure to infectious diseases and illnesses
Work overload due to understaffing or high patient volume
Irregular work hours and shift work may impact work-life balance
Potential for burnout due to the demanding nature of the job
Clinical medical assistant career paths
Key steps to become a clinical medical assistant
Explore clinical medical assistant education requirements
Start to develop specific clinical medical assistant skills
Skills Percentages Patients 19.39% Patient Care 11.78% Vital Signs 9.74% CPR 4.13% Customer Service 4.06% Complete relevant clinical medical assistant training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical medical assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical medical assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical medical assistant resumes.Gain additional clinical medical assistant certifications
More About CertificationsClinical medical assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific clinical medical assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for clinical medical assistants include Medical Assistant and Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (NHA).
Research clinical medical assistant duties and responsibilities
- Obtain vital signs, calculate body mass indexes, administer intramuscular injections, administer venipuncture on patients using aseptic technique.
- Treat patients and coworkers with dignity, respect and compassion.
- Obtain EKG's and vitals along with medical history, family history, current medications and chief complaints.
- Present data in a Powerpoint presentation in mentoring professor's classes.
Prepare your clinical medical assistant resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical medical assistant resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical medical assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable clinical medical assistant resume templates
Build a professional clinical medical assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your clinical medical assistant resume.
Apply for clinical medical assistant jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a clinical medical assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first clinical medical assistant job
Are you a clinical medical assistant?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average clinical medical assistant salary
The average clinical medical assistant salary in the United States is $37,052 per year or $18 per hour. Clinical medical assistant salaries range between $29,000 and $46,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do clinical medical assistants rate their job?
Clinical medical assistant reviews
Hard work, not enough staff, mandated a lot. Under appreciated!
All the changes with certification and how you can be on the floor of a facility and know not even common sense. How they have hospitality aides, hca, and people going to start a free class. Back in the day we were called glorified babysitters I never agreed until we have just a warm body with no license(s) whom can't do anything even as small as getting ice waters. I've worked hard tobe where i am and these people take a computer class and pass we would call that our continuing education hrs but what do i know after 23 yrs. I once REALLY loved my job and still do but it's almost like being in grade school with people who have phone's lol It bothers me that many new or non licensed bodies have the audacity to come in these facilities and act like the residents are on their time! We are in their home to help provide ADL's amongst other things like them still trying to be & keep their independence. The ridiculous amount they have to spend to have the care they get from some people makes me wanna die young!! Our system sucks unless its the government making the dollar. I just wish they'd spend an 8 hr shift in these facilities before signing off on some rules & regs. Im not political by any means but those who take the dollar should get to live and experience a day of what our elderly lived ones are forced to experience daily , monthly, yearly! In fact the state hasn't even done the 18 month annual expectation in over 2 yrs at the place im contracted at 👍way to keep up on stuff and by stuff I mean our elderly living human beans. People who deserve to be served on gold plates or at least gave better food then what they serve daycares and if not that at least for it to be at high minimum warm food !! In 23 yrs of being a CNA I can only try to write a book to get out all the things I've seen ,heard. & witnessed in the years.
Interaction with patient. Caring for patients. Educating, Scheduling procedures.
Being overwhelmed with too many time sensitive referrals. Appeals
Updated January 8, 2025
