How To Become A Health Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a health assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Eve Leija AAS, NCMA

Health assistants support the work of medical professionals by caring for patients undergoing treatment in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, or occasionally in private homes. Working under the supervision of qualified professionals, they provide patients personal care and carry out a set of clinical duties.

Health assistants monitor patients' conditions, conduct medical tests, and keep records of medical test results. They are responsible for setting up and operating medical equipment, preparing patients for treatment, and measuring their bodily functions, such as heart rate, temperature, or blood glucose levels.

Potential candidates must be qualified as an assistant in health care to take on this job. They also need to be physically fit, as they might need to lift patients or perform other tasks that require physical stamina. A caring and nurturing person is likely to find satisfaction in this role.

What general advice would you give to a health assistant?

Eve Leija AAS, NCMA

Medical Assistant Program Director, Website

To maximize salary for a medical assistant obtaining certification from one of the credentialing organizations such as American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) can make a new hire more competitive. Continuing educations along with developing any specialized skills such as phlebotomy. Demonstrating professionalism initiative and reliability, along with gaining a strong reference from previous employers.

ScoreHealth AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,960

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 9.54%

Black or African American 9.86%

Hispanic or Latino 22.40%

Unknown 4.71%

White 52.68%

Gender

female 82.05%

male 17.95%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a health assistant

Explore health assistant education requirements

Most common health assistant degrees

Bachelor's

45.2 %

Associate

21.4 %

High School Diploma

10.3 %

Start to develop specific health assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	18.18%
CPR	9.72%
Customer Service	7.57%
Vital Signs	5.44%
Mental Health	5.36%

Complete relevant health assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New health 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 health assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real health assistant resumes.

Gain additional health assistant certifications

Health 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 health assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for health assistants include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research health assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
Review and do compliance of school health records in NYC public schools to ensure adherence to protocols and for quality control.
Study correlation of high incarceration rates and community health indicators in NYC neighborhoods
Provide breastfeeding promotion to all WIC women as the preferred infant feeding method.

Prepare your health assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your health 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 health 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 health assistant resume templates

Build a professional health 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 health assistant resume.

Apply for health assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a health 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 do health assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Health assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Cons

When someone getting mistreated and not getting care they need being responsible for others

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

Researching and resolving complicated health insurance issues escaladed to my department. My department specifically handles the process for reporting a Consumer's loved ones Death to their health insurance company. A difficult task that requires a very empathetic person with clear understanding of the grief process. And the clear ability to communicate understanding.