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

What is a hospital medical assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

A hospital medical assistant does a variety of tasks under the supervision of a nurse or doctor in order to keep a hospital running smoothly. Their daily duties vary depending on the workload of other staff and the needs of patients. Sometimes, they perform basic patient care like taking vital signs and assisting medical professionals with procedures. Other days, they perform mostly administrative work like scheduling appointments, maintaining patient records, and setting up facilities. A good hospital medical assistant is able to react quickly to a fast-paced environment, perform patient care with compassion, and has excellent organizational skills to manage the clerical duties of medical care.

There are several different ways to become a hospital medical assistant. About half choose to get bachelor's degrees in nursing or a related field, while others have an associate's degree or certificate. Many hospital medical assistants are certified by a national organization like the American Association of Medical Assistants, although this isn't mandatory.

Hospital medical assistants have similar duties to clinical medical assistants, but they tend to make more money. On average, they earn $35,401 a year.

What general advice would you give to a hospital medical assistant?

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

Faculty Coordinator of Allied Health/Medical Assistant Program Director, Midstate College

-LIKE- People who enjoy working as a Medical Assistant do it because they get a
great satisfaction from help other people. They are often the first contact with the
patient in the medical facility, which sets the tone for the rest of the visit.
They feel good making sure that their patients have the right information that they
need, the appropriate medical care they need, and helping patients feel better.
Good problem-solving skills, compassion, understanding, patience and keeping
up with a fast-paced office is very rewarding.
-DISLIKE- Some Medical Assistants have determined that there are
area/tasks/etc. that they dislike, listed below are some of these things:
 You’re always around people who are sick
 Long work hours can include 10 or 12-hour days
 Lower starting salary, which is usually based on education and
experience level
 Having to deal with stressful situations and difficult patients
 Dealing with patients who are angry, cranky, anxious or not feeling well
 Working under pressure from extremely tight deadlines

ScoreHospital Medical AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,545

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 9.47%

Black or African American 11.15%

Hispanic or Latino 22.70%

Unknown 4.69%

White 51.16%

Gender

female 68.12%

male 31.88%

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 hospital medical assistant

Explore hospital medical assistant education requirements

Most common hospital medical assistant degrees

Bachelor's

44.6 %

Associate

16.6 %

High School Diploma

15.9 %

Start to develop specific hospital medical assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	22.64%
Vital Signs	8.57%
Customer Service	8.22%
CPR	7.54%
Medical Terminology	4.98%

Complete relevant hospital medical assistant training and internships

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

Gain additional hospital medical assistant certifications

Hospital 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 hospital medical assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

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

More About Certifications

Research hospital medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage medical/isolation stalls and surgery treatment facility and assist in post surgery care.
Promote patient wellness and conduct patient education and ensure adherence to all OSHA and HIPAA regulations.
Accredit training for OSHA, JACHO for safety practices and procedures.
Administer EKG, range of motion, treatments, and physical assessment tests.

Prepare your hospital medical assistant resume

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

Build a professional hospital 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 hospital medical assistant resume.