How to hire a senior medical assistant

How to hire a senior medical assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior 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 senior medical assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior medical assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior medical assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior medical assistant you need to hire. Certain senior medical assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 senior 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 senior medical assistant that fits the bill.

   This list presents senior medical assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Senior Medical Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior 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.	$10-30
   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
   • Patient Care
   • Exam Rooms
   • CPR
   • Phlebotomy
   • Customer Service
   • Medical Assistants
   • Blood Pressure
   • Medical Terminology
   • EMR
   • EKG
   • Venipuncture
   • Surgical Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
   • Demonstrate proficiency in triage, phlebotomy, injections and various diagnostic procedures and ancillary tests.
   • Prioritize data entry daily to ensure patients labs and procedure results are immediately available for access.
   • Require to deliver daily lecture & clinical, teach CPR, typing, and hands-on lab.
   • Post insurance and patient payments, cash applications, and cash posting (EOB & EFT).
   • Help implement practice's quality assurance and control program ensuring compliance of HIPAA, CLIA, and OSHA regulations.

   More senior medical assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior medical assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior medical assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior medical assistants' average salary in wyoming is 57% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior medical assistants 67% less than senior-level senior medical assistants.
   • Certifications. A senior medical assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior medical assistant's salary.

   Average senior medical assistant salary

   $37,113yearly

   $17.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior medical assistant salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average senior medical assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$71,832	$35
   2	California	$62,620	$30
   3	New York	$59,839	$29
   4	District of Columbia	$55,314	$27
   5	New Jersey	$52,696	$25
   6	New Hampshire	$52,645	$25
   7	Oregon	$52,188	$25
   8	Ohio	$50,440	$24
   9	Arizona	$47,586	$23
   10	Nevada	$47,036	$23
   11	Illinois	$41,364	$20
   12	Texas	$41,017	$20
   13	Colorado	$40,002	$19
   14	Pennsylvania	$39,385	$19
   15	Michigan	$36,156	$17
   16	Florida	$35,399	$17
   17	Louisiana	$34,882	$17
   18	South Dakota	$33,443	$16
   19	Missouri	$32,732	$16
   20	Oklahoma	$32,615	$16

   Average senior medical assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Genentech	$153,662	$73.88	9
   2	ProMedica Toledo Hospital	$118,754	$57.09	22
   3	Overlake Medical Center & Clinics	$93,672	$45.03	14
   4	Health Alliance	$74,538	$35.84	32
   5	LCMC Health	$72,418	$34.82	18
   6	Parkland Hospital	$69,522	$33.42	9
   7	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$67,628	$32.51	123
   8	Cedars-Sinai	$63,302	$30.43	105
   9	Lawrence General Hospital	$61,088	$29.37	19
   10	Student Conservation Association	$58,005	$27.89	2
   11	University of California-Berkeley	$52,070	$25.03
   12	Environmental Defense Fund	$51,991	$25.00
   13	Northwell Health	$51,194	$24.61	152
   14	University of Michigan	$47,545	$22.86	18
   15	Children's National Medical Center	$46,782	$22.49	13
   16	University of Maryland Medical System	$46,479	$22.35	26
   17	Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.	$46,133	$22.18	33
   18	Prosperity Bank	$45,063	$21.66
   19	Sharp HealthCare	$40,348	$19.40	22
   20	Touro College	$38,365	$18.44	1

4. Writing a senior medical assistant job description

   A good senior medical assistant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior medical assistant job description:

   Senior medical assistant job description example

   Administers para-professional nursing care. Duties include, but are not limited to; preparing patient for physician, administering and recording laboratory tests. Guides designated practice Assistants and Associates; assists in coordinating organization of patient needs including, preparing and organizing patient clinic charts.
   Job Responsibility
   
   * Collaborates with members of the health care team in coordinating and implementing plans for patient care; records patient history for medical staff review.
   * Performs measurement and screening procedures according to protocol, which may include, but is not limited to height, weight, head circumference, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, audiometry and vision testing; records and plots findings on patient chart.
   * Collects blood specimens and assists physician or nurse in collection of blood specimens as required; completes requisitions, labels and routes specimens according to standard procedure.
   * Collects specimens and completes requisitions, labels and routes specimens according to standard procedure.
   * May perform electrocardiograms in accordance with physician orders; assists physicians and nurses with special procedures and examinations by securing supplies, ensuring patient is properly undressed and draped, providing instruments to physicians, holding patient as required and assisting patient after examination.
   * Maintains orderliness and cleanliness of examination rooms; stocks assigned rooms and cupboards and ensures that par levels of supplies are maintained on a daily basis.
   * Insures all data collected for procedures performed is recorded clearly and accurately on appropriate forms and in medical records.
   * Performs variety of other administrative support functions including, but not limited to maintaining medical records, processing insurance forms, and preparing financial records.
   * Maintains par levels of office, patient, and medical supplies.
   * Performs related duties as required. All responsibilities noted here are considered essential functions of the job under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Duties not mentioned here, but considered related are not essential functions.
   
   Job Qualification
   
   * High School Diploma or equivalent required. Successful completion of a six-month (6) to one (1) year course in Medical Assisting at an accredited school.
   * Current Medical Assistant Certification preferred, plus specialized certifications as needed.
   * 3-5 years of relevant experience, required.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior 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.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior medical assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit senior medical assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior medical assistant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 senior medical assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior medical assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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