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

What is a medical assistant/biller and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

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

Medical assistants/billers take care of administrative tasks in a medical office, especially billing for services. They help keep the office's finances in good shape and free up doctors and nurses to focus on patient care. Most of a medical assistant/biller's job involves chasing down payments for medical services. They need to communicate with insurance companies and provide them with documentation proving that the patient had the procedures that they are expected to pay for. Sometimes, they bill patients directly. A medical assistant/biller can also take on other administrative tasks not related to billing, such as scheduling appointments, maintaining patient records, and answering patient questions.

While some medical assistants/billers have bachelor's degrees, most get by with just an associate's degree or high school diploma. Practical office experience and some knowledge of medical records and insurance codes are usually more important than a degree.

On average, medical assistants/billers earn about $29,459 a year. The demand for this position is growing by a whopping 23%, so now might be a good time to brush up on your medical knowledge and administrative skills.

What general advice would you give to a medical assistant/biller?

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

ScoreMedical Assistant/BillerUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,204

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 9.07%

Black or African American 10.40%

Hispanic or Latino 24.37%

Unknown 4.63%

White 50.73%

Gender

female 91.71%

male 8.29%

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 medical assistant/biller

Explore medical assistant/biller education requirements

Most common medical assistant/biller degrees

Associate

26.1 %

Certificate

21.1 %

Bachelor's

19.9 %

Start to develop specific medical assistant/biller skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	20.85%
Medical Billing	12.64%
Insurance Billing	5.25%
Vital Signs	5.24%
Data Entry	3.71%

Complete relevant medical assistant/biller training and internships

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

Gain additional medical assistant/biller certifications

Medical assistant/biller 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 medical assistant/biller certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for medical assistant/billers include Medical Assistant and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).

More About Certifications

Research medical assistant/biller duties and responsibilities

Communicate with hospitals, surgical facilities and physicians' offices to book surgeries and obtain CPT codes and patient demographics
Perform clinical duties such as taking vitals of patients, administrating EKG tests and assisting physicians with in office procedures.
Evaluate and treat adult and geriatric age patients for temporary rehabilitation from surgery and chronic medical problems.
Cross-Train in reception duties and triage nurse duties.

Prepare your medical assistant/biller resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical assistant/biller 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 medical assistant/biller resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical assistant/biller resume templates

Build a professional medical assistant/biller 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 medical assistant/biller resume.