What is a medical office assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

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

A medical office assistant provides administrative support to medical offices, clinics, and hospitals. They schedule appointments, manage patient records, answer calls, greet patients, and handle billing. In addition, medical office assistants may perform basic clinical tasks such as taking patient vitals and preparing exam rooms. They work with healthcare professionals to ensure smooth operations and provide essential support to patients. Successful medical office assistants have organizational skills, communication skills, and attention to detail.

What general advice would you give to a medical office 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

ScoreMedical Office AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,025

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 8.98%

Black or African American 13.00%

Hispanic or Latino 20.24%

Unknown 4.61%

White 52.36%

Gender

female 91.73%

male 8.27%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a medical office assistant?

Pros

Opportunity to work in a growing industry
Potential for job security
Competitive salary and benefits
Opportunities for continuing education and training
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Cons

High stress environment
Long hours and unpredictable schedules
Repetitive tasks and duties
Potential for burnout and compassion fatigue
High degree of responsibility and accountability

Key steps to become a medical office assistant

Explore medical office assistant education requirements

Most common medical office assistant degrees

Associate

28.5 %

Bachelor's

22.2 %

Certificate

17.0 %

Start to develop specific medical office assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	24.21%
Patient Care	10.60%
Vital Signs	6.73%
Customer Service	5.04%
Medical Terminology	4.15%

Complete relevant medical office assistant training and internships

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

Gain additional medical office assistant certifications

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

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

More About Certifications

Research medical office assistant duties and responsibilities

Experience with manage care, Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial carriers.
Communicate closely with patients to ensure they are managing their current medications properly, and maintain accurate, up-to-date medical records.
Conduct preliminary patient screenings by assessing vital signs, recording patient information, preparing patient rooms, and performing EKG tests.
Protect patients' rights by maintaining confidentiality of personal information follows policies and procedures including HIPAA regulations.

Prepare your medical office assistant resume

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

Build a professional medical office 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 medical office assistant resume.