Maryland Medical Assistant Programs

New graduates celebrate with their families at their nursing commencement ceremony.

How to Become a Medical Assistant in Maryland - Medical Assistant Programs in Maryland

Medical assistants are a growing number within the medical community. As more doctors are graduating from medical school each year, there are sometimes not enough nurses to go around. In the absence of having a nurse, a doctor can just hire a medical assistant. The medical assistant can take the patient's information like their medical history, check the patient's vital signs, give injections when needed, and help the doctor with their physical examinations of the patient. These are all things that were once only done by nurses, but now that is not the case. And, since nurses can be in short supply in certain areas, it is a good thing that medical assistants can now do these things.

In order to become a medical assistant in Maryland, you should graduate from a medical assisting training program. Some doctors will hire you without it, but you would still have to go through on the job training. It is just best to go with a medical assisting program so that, once you go to apply for a job as a medical assistant, you are ready to go and need little to no additional training. Some employers will only hire medical assistants who are certified, so it is in your best interest to go ahead and take the certification test once you have successfully completed your medical assisting program.

If you work as a medical assistant in Maryland, you can expect to have an average salary of $28,000 on a yearly basis. The actual amount of your annual salary will depend on the following factors: city where you work, your level of experience in the field, and who you work for. As you work as a medical assistant for a lengthy period of time, you will start making more money. You will also likely make more money if you are certified versus if you are not certified.

Because of the close interaction with patients when you work as a medical assistant, you may find that you like it so much that you want to go to nursing school or even medical school. Being a medical assistant is a very good start to deciding to become a nurse or a doctor. It gives you the experience of working closely with patients so you can see if that is something you enjoy and are good at, while also providing you with the comfort of knowing that a doctor is there to help you should you not know what to do.

• Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Health and Human Services
• Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)