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

What is a student medical assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

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

A student medical assistant performs both clinical and clerical tasks. Employers expect student medical assistant to have at least a high school diploma and relevant certification. Communication, analytical, and technical skills are a few skills a student medical assistant must hold. They work in medical offices, hospitals, and clinics and under the supervision of a professional health care employee every time. Upon getting the job, you will earn $16 hourly, which is about $32,901 per year.

The duties of a student medical assistant include welcoming patients and keeping up-to-date medical records. They also manage patient's insurance, finances, and billing, and clean the examination rooms. The student medical assistant collects and handles various samples like blood, urine, etc., taken from patients for pathological tests. They may also perform said tests and work with medical equipment.

What general advice would you give to a student medical 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

ScoreStudent Medical AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $37,781

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 9.21%

Black or African American 10.05%

Hispanic or Latino 24.42%

Unknown 4.65%

White 50.86%

Gender

female 78.88%

male 21.12%

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 student medical assistant

Explore student medical assistant education requirements

Most common student medical assistant degrees

Associate

27.6 %

Bachelor's

24.6 %

Certificate

16.7 %

Start to develop specific student medical assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	21.63%
Vital Signs	10.61%
Laboratory Specimens	5.52%
EKG	5.50%
Surgical Procedures	4.75%

Complete relevant student medical assistant training and internships

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

Gain additional student medical assistant certifications

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

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

More About Certifications

Research student medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Provide supportive counseling and utilize motivation interviewing to improve patients' ability to manage their medical diagnoses
Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
Assist patients with consent forms, HIPAA questions and insurance verification to ensure accurate and timely care.
Used word processor and gain experience in EHR software.

Prepare your student medical assistant resume

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

Build a professional student medical 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 student medical assistant resume.