How to hire a clinical medical assistant

How to hire a clinical medical assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinical medical assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a clinical medical assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical medical assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a clinical medical assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the clinical medical assistant you need to hire. Certain clinical medical assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A clinical medical assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, clinical medical assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of clinical medical assistants.

   Type of Clinical Medical Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Medical Assistant	Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice.	$13-22
   Medical Clerk	A medical clerk works in the administrative area of a medical facility or hospital. The medical clerk collects all patient information and medical records... Show more	$12-19
   Medical Service Technician	A medical service technician provides health care and treatments to patients under the supervision or directives of a more experienced physician. Most of their responsibilities revolve around assessing a patient's condition, administering required aid, diagnosing patients, conducting check-ups, and counseling patients... Show more	$11-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Vital Signs
   • CPR
   • Customer Service
   • Medical Assistants
   • Phlebotomy
   • EKG
   • Exam Rooms
   • Patient Flow
   • Medical Terminology
   • Blood Pressure
   • Allergies
   • Test Results

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Process super-bills for submission to CPR billing, and daily bank deposits.
   • Order new equipment and work with word, excel, and PowerPoint.

   More clinical medical assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your clinical medical assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A clinical medical assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, clinical medical assistants' average salary in alabama is 43% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level clinical medical assistants earn 37% less than senior-level clinical medical assistants.
   • Certifications. A clinical medical assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a clinical medical assistant's salary.

   Average clinical medical assistant salary

   $37,052yearly

   $17.81 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical medical assistant salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

   Average clinical medical assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$47,085	$23
   2	California	$47,050	$23
   3	Hawaii	$46,793	$23
   4	Oregon	$43,869	$21
   5	Illinois	$40,297	$19
   6	Arizona	$38,960	$19
   7	Colorado	$38,051	$18
   8	Nevada	$37,590	$18
   9	Maryland	$37,550	$18
   10	Minnesota	$36,817	$18
   11	Wisconsin	$36,684	$18
   12	Utah	$36,551	$18
   13	Iowa	$36,479	$18
   14	New York	$36,144	$17
   15	Texas	$35,696	$17
   16	North Dakota	$35,479	$17
   17	Indiana	$34,625	$17
   18	Ohio	$33,707	$16
   19	South Dakota	$33,378	$16
   20	Missouri	$32,614	$16

   Average clinical medical assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$54,103	$26.01	138
   2	UMass Memorial Health	$52,569	$25.27	60
   3	Nantucket Cottage Hospital	$47,340	$22.76
   4	University of California-Berkeley	$46,295	$22.26
   5	UC Santa Barbara	$45,816	$22.03
   6	UC Merced	$45,356	$21.81
   7	University of California	$44,548	$21.42	328
   8	Tufts Medical Center	$44,499	$21.39
   9	Medical University of South Carolina	$43,389	$20.86	88
   10	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$42,791	$20.57
   11	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$42,544	$20.45
   12	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.	$42,380	$20.38	2
   13	University of Colorado Boulder	$42,299	$20.34
   14	Express Healthcare Professionals	$41,278	$19.85
   15	Massachusetts Eye and Ear	$41,096	$19.76	113
   16	Premier Medical Group	$40,456	$19.45	10
   17	Emanate Health	$40,389	$19.42	34
   18	University of Washington	$39,788	$19.13	60
   19	Hawaii Pacific Health	$39,723	$19.10	100
   20	Riverwood Healthcare Center	$39,698	$19.09	6

4. Writing a clinical medical assistant job description

   A clinical medical assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a clinical medical assistant job description:

   Clinical medical assistant job description example

   H-E-B is one of the largest, independently owned food retailers in the nation operating over 400 stores throughout Texas and Mexico, with annual sales generating over $25 billion. Described by industry experts as a daring innovator and smart competitor, H-E-B has led the way with creative new concepts, outstanding service and a commitment to diversity in our workforce, workplace and marketplace. H-E-B offers a wealth of career opportunities to our 110,000+ Partners (employees), competitive compensation and benefits program and comprehensive training that lead to successful careers. Responsibilities: Click here to learn more! This is a 1099 (independent contractor) position - PRN Float Pool Clinic hours: Monday-Friday/8:30am-5:30pm Location: 9746 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77055 Healthcare, Plus. It's a goal and a promise. At H-E-B Wellness Primary Care, it's our goal to help everyone live the healthiest life possible. And it's our promise that our health care will be better than Partners have ever experienced: accessible, convenient, engaging, and complete. Join us and be part of something special. Help us provide comprehensive services that include primary care, health coaching, physical medicine, care navigation, and more.
   
   As a Medical Assistant, you'll serve a key role in delivering a unique patient experience. You'll make our guests feel as comfortable as possible while you administer general patient care and perform / assist in other medical procedures. You'll serve as a coordinator / liaison between patients, physicians, and other health care team members.
   
   Do you have a:
   HEART FOR PEOPLE... willingness to serve each patient as a personal guest?
   HEAD FOR BUSINESS... committed to provide excellent service by building / maintaining customer relations?
   PASSION FOR RESULTS... drive to help build our customer base?
   
   We are looking for: a high school diploma, or equivalent experience as a medical assistant, admissions rep, or in-clinic support Medical Assistant certification (CMA) *Please refer to list below Accepted certifying organizations: National Health Career Association American Association of Medical Personnel American Medical Technologists National Association for Health Professionals What is the work? Customer Service: Welcomes each guest warmly and professionally; provides a caring environment; handles guest interactions with the highest level of hospitality; responds to all requests personably, accurately, and in a timely manner; accommodates special requests when possible Assists with check-in process; processes transactions required to begin / complete patient visits Provides exceptional customer service; manages multi-phone line system; answers calls; schedules appointments; maintains clinic calendar / scheduling; responds to emails Resolves patient complaints; assists patients in all Clinic-related inquiries Promotes H-E-B Wellness Primary Care services Develops an understanding of H-E-B-sponsored health insurance (e.g., co-pays, co-insurance, and related benefits-specific offerings) Develops in-depth understanding of eligibility files, check-in technology, electronic health record system, and overall workflow related to care delivery Serves as a resource to patients; facilitates coordination of patient care Assists with patient referral process, and associated follow-ups Obtains referring physician orders and outside facility images / reports as necessary
   Patient Care: Performs patient intake interviews; takes medical histories; checks / records vital signs Draws blood; administers medications, including injections; collects lab specimens; assists physicians with exams / other medical procedures; provides clinic support Replenishes medical supplies / materials Maintains collaborative, professional relationships with clinic staff Ensures adherence to HIPAA regulations
   What is your background? High school diploma, or equivalent Graduate of an accredited medical assistant or surgical technician program (preferred) Medical Assistant certification (CMA) Basic Life Support (BLS) certification 1+ years of experience in office, clerical, or medical work; medical assistant, admissions rep, or clinic support (preferred) 1+ years of experience in phlebotomy / blood drawing (preferred) Experience in customer service Experience working with electronic health records (preferred)
   Do you have what it takes to be a fit as an H-E-B Medical Assistant? Knowledge of medical terminology Proficiency in MS Office, related software / applications Advanced interpersonal, customer service, and issue-resolution skills Advanced written / verbal communication skills Strong organization and follow-through skills; attention to detail Bilingual skills (English - Spanish) a plus Ability to quickly learn new procedures / processes Ability to comfortably, efficiently manage multiple priorities and shift focus between tasks Ability to project process ownership, accountability, and initiative Ability to work as part of a team; ability to work with minimal supervision Ability to apply good judgment and logic in performing duties, and responding to customer needs
   Can you... Function in a fast-paced clinic / office environment Sit / stand for extended periods of time Regularly lift up to 20 lbs Work extended hours and / or rotating schedules MED3232

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find clinical medical assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find clinical medical assistant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting clinical medical assistants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical medical assistant

   Once you've found the clinical medical assistant candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new clinical medical assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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