New York Medical Assistant Programs

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

How to Become a Medical Assistant in New York - Medical Assistant Programs in New York

When a patient goes in to see a doctor, they usually see a medical assistant before the doctor comes in to do their physical examination. The medical assistant fulfills a lot of the jobs that a nurse used to do so that frees up time for the nursing staff as well as makes up for any lack of nurses in the practice. The medical assistant generally takes down patient information, including why they are there to see the doctor, give injections as needed, assist the doctor with the physical exam, and prepare any lab tests that have been ordered. While there still needs to be a nurse there to see the patient, the medical assistant can handle most of the pre-appointment duties.

Becoming a medical assistant in New York is very simple. There are no actual education requirements outside of being a high school graduate or having your GED. A lot of doctors' offices and hospitals will train medical assistants on the job. However, if you want to be more appealing when applying for medical assistant jobs in New York, then you can earn an associate's degree in medical assisting from a community college or technical school. There are many schools across the State of New York that have this program so, no matter where you live, you are bound to find one close by.

Since New York has a very high cost of living index, the amount of money you earn as a medical assistant is vital to determining whether or not you want to pursue this career. The average salary for a medical assistant is close to $30,000 a year. Of course, the actual salary you draw will depend on various factors: level of experience in field, level of education, employer, and the city you work in. The larger cities will almost always pay more than the smaller ones – of course, partly because it costs more to live in the larger cities.

The career of the medical assistant is really starting to grow. It is projected that this career field will grow by at least 31% by the year 2020. One thing is for certain: you can never go wrong with any career in the healthcare industry. There will always be a need for doctors, nurses, lab techs, and even medical assistants. This is a good field to go into if you are wanting to get your feet wet in the healthcare industry and you want to assist doctors with their patients.

New York State Board of Nursing
Education Bldg.
89 Washington Avenue
2nd Floor West Wing
Albany, NY 12234
Phone: (518) 474-3817
Fax: (518) 474-3706

New York State Nurses Association

• New York State Department of Health