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

What is a medical research assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

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

Medical research assistants provide support to medical professionals. They assist in conducting experiments or gathering and analyzing information and data. They are employed by medical research centers and related organizations to help in different research activities. These tasks vary depending on the type of research carried out. The experiments and research they carry out are according to the protocols of the primary researchers. A medical research assistant collects, records, and analyzes experimental data. They also maintain laboratory equipment and keep inventory.

A medical research assistant must possess analytical, technical, observational, and time-management skills. They must also have a bachelor's degree in life sciences or a related subject to qualify for the job. Apart from this, they must have adequate knowledge of proper clinical procedures and clinical trials. They must also have extensive knowledge about the research subject matter and the technology used in studies.

What general advice would you give to a medical research 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 Research AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $40,303

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.82%

Asian 9.71%

Black or African American 10.09%

Hispanic or Latino 24.26%

Unknown 4.73%

White 50.39%

Gender

female 80.99%

male 19.01%

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 research assistant

Explore medical research assistant education requirements

Most common medical research assistant degrees

Bachelor's

35.4 %

Certificate

17.5 %

Associate

17.3 %

Start to develop specific medical research assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	19.93%
Patient Care	10.42%
DR	9.19%
Vital Signs	6.47%
Medical Terminology	5.61%

Complete relevant medical research assistant training and internships

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

Gain additional medical research assistant certifications

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

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

More About Certifications

Research medical research assistant duties and responsibilities

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Conduct intake and triage of medical histories for new and returning patients.
Record patient's medical history, vital statistics and information into charts and EMR.
Perform appointment scheduling and registration for patients as well as updating patient demographic and insurance information.

Prepare your medical research assistant resume

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

Build a professional medical research 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 research assistant resume.