How to hire a registered medical assistant

How to hire a registered medical assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step registered medical assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a registered medical assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new registered medical assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a registered medical assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The registered medical assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a registered medical assistant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a registered medical assistant that fits the bill.

   This list presents registered medical assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Registered Medical Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Registered Medical Assistant	Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice.	$12-23
   Medical Scribe	As a medical scribe, their main responsibility is to follow a physician's daily work and do charting of patient encounters in real-time by accessing their medical electronic health record (EHR). It is their duty to make sure the patient schedules are followed, generate referral letters for physicians and manage and sort medical documents within the EHR... Show more	$11-18
   Medical Internship	When it comes to a medical internship, one of the primary duties is to attend to the patients' needs while under a more experienced physician's supervision. During this period, the medical interns must rotate in various fields of specialties or departments for exposure... Show more	$15-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Vital Signs
   • Office Procedures
   • EKG
   • Customer Service
   • Exam Rooms
   • Phlebotomy
   • Test Results
   • Phone Calls
   • RMA
   • Standing Orders
   • Patient Flow
   • HIPAA
   • Compassion

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Generate referral letters for physician, manage and sort medical documents within the EHR system, and assist with e-prescribing.
   • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
   • Attain medical histories, explain treatment procedures to patients, prepare patients for examination, and assist during diagnostic examinations.
   • Front and back administrative duties, answering phones, scheduling appointments and compliance with HIPAA, CLIA, and OSHA regulations.
   • Conduct lab tests in the areas of hematology, coagulation, urinalysis and serology collections.
   • Run testing, calibration and controls of high complexity specialize in areas of chemistry and hematology.

   More registered medical assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the registered medical assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A registered medical assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a registered medical assistant in Arkansas may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level registered medical assistant. Additionally, a registered medical assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average registered medical assistant salary

   $36,580yearly

   $17.59 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level registered medical assistant salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average registered medical assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$53,180	$26
   2	Washington	$46,372	$22
   3	Connecticut	$44,611	$21
   4	New Jersey	$43,757	$21
   5	Maryland	$42,107	$20
   6	Colorado	$38,015	$18
   7	Iowa	$37,845	$18
   8	Minnesota	$37,429	$18
   9	Wisconsin	$37,113	$18
   10	Virginia	$36,325	$17
   11	Florida	$35,861	$17
   12	Idaho	$35,156	$17
   13	Indiana	$34,849	$17
   14	North Carolina	$33,673	$16
   15	Texas	$33,621	$16
   16	Montana	$33,067	$16
   17	Missouri	$32,688	$16
   18	Georgia	$32,271	$16
   19	South Carolina	$30,869	$15
   20	Arkansas	$29,701	$14

   Average registered medical assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Griffin Hospital	$50,829	$24.44
   2	King County	$44,619	$21.45
   3	Virginia Health Services	$41,574	$19.99
   4	University of Washington	$40,840	$19.63	26
   5	Aledade	$38,191	$18.36
   6	Wellpath	$38,159	$18.35	96
   7	Kaiser Permanente	$38,070	$18.30	113
   8	Tanner Clinic	$37,778	$18.16	3
   9	ProMedica Toledo Hospital	$37,530	$18.04	19
   10	Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine	$37,500	$18.03	8
   11	Southern	$37,409	$17.99	1
   12	McAlester Regional Health Center	$37,264	$17.92	2
   13	Planned Parenthood	$37,039	$17.81	104
   14	The Primary Health Network	$36,949	$17.76	7
   15	CareSTL Health	$36,775	$17.68	3
   16	BayMark Health Services	$36,735	$17.66
   17	PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NORTHERN CENTRAL	$36,735	$17.66	7
   18	Commonwealth Mortgage	$36,735	$17.66
   19	Parkview	$36,735	$17.66	8
   20	Kaiser Group Inc	$36,735	$17.66	5

4. Writing a registered medical assistant job description

   A job description for a registered medical assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a registered medical assistant job description:

   Registered medical assistant job description example

   Full-Time, (40 Hour Per Week)
   
   Medical Assistant that is registered with the AAMA or a National Board, the M.A. will be working with a diverse population in our Health Center. The Medical Assistant duties include assisting in the maintenance of patient flow including weight/height, vital signs, medication review, assisting physicians with exams, performing urine dips glucose finger sticks and more.
   First shift position. Rate of pay is $20.00 per hour.
   
   We offer a great benefit package including: Medical, Dental, Vision, Generous Personal/Vacation/Sick accrual system, Life Insurance, 403B Retirement Plan, Pet Insurance discount and AFLAC plans.
   
   Specific Responsibilities Assists in the maintenance of patient flow; including weight/height, vital signs, medication review, chief complaint and patient preparation as needed. Assist physicians with exams as required. Performs urine dips, supervised urine drug screens, urine pregnancy test, glucose finger sticks, A1C, INR, and EKG's. Input office procedures, billing charges and other pertinent clinical information into EHR (Nextgen). Update clinical care guidelines into EHR. Triage incoming telephone calls. Schedule and cancel appointments in EMR (Nextgen). Submit application for PT-1 form via www.mass.gov website. Assists with completion of paperwork. Maintains adequate stocking of exam rooms on a weekly basis. Completion of daily DRVS reports Disposes of biohazard waste in exam rooms on a daily basis. Knowledge with use of autoclave for sterilization of equipment and supplies. Must work an evening shift (6:30/7:00) once a week and or coverage during vacation or call outs. Travel between multiple sites. Other duties as required.
   
   Qualifications Registered AAMA or National medical assistant. Use of linguistic capacity required as part of the position when appropriate. Bilingual is a plus At least two year continuous sobriety is required for individuals in recovery from drugs/alcohol.
   
   Benefits: We offer a great benefit package including: Medical, Dental, Vision, Generous Personal/Vacation/Sick accrual system, Life Insurance, 403B Retirement Plan, Pet Insurance discount and AFLAC plans.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right registered medical assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   To find registered medical assistant candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit registered medical assistants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new registered medical assistant

   Once you've selected the best registered medical assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new registered medical assistant first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a registered medical assistant?