Vermont Medical Assistant Programs

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

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

In many doctor's offices, and even some hospitals, a lot of the duties that were once relegated only to nurses is being performed by medical assistants. This is a good thing because, if there are not enough nurses at a particular practice, it frees the nurses up to do other important tasks that only they can assist the doctor with. Medical assistants are primarily responsible for taking down the patient's information, including medical history, checking the patient's vital signs and recording them for the doctor, schedule appointments, help with an examination if needed, and prepare any specimen for lab testing.

If you want to work as a medical assistant in the State of Vermont, you will likely be happy to note that you do not have to seek any type of degree to work in this field. Most of the training medical assistants receive is on-the-job – meaning nurses and even other medical assistants teach you everything you need to know in order to perform the tasks required. This may include medical terminology, though it is very beneficial to you if you take a medical terminology class at a nearby community college so you have that already taken care of.

There are a lot of medical assistants that are needed in the State of Vermont. The bigger cities usually have all of the healthcare workers they need, but the smaller communities that are spread out all across the state need more healthcare workers, including medical assistants. The medical assistant field will likely grow by 31% in the next few years. That means there will be more jobs that need to be filled by medical assistants and a lot of them will be in states like Vermont.

The salary that a medical assistant can expect to make varies and depends on many things. The annual average pay for medical assistants is a little over $13 an hour. Of course, this does not mean you will start out making that much, but some of the smaller communities in Vermont that are in great need of medical assistants may offer more pay per hour or a sign-on bonus for new hires. It just depends on where you will be working and how badly medical assistants are needed there. As you continue to work as a medical assistant, you will find that you will earn more each year. As long as you do well in your job, you will likely have a very rewarding career for yourself.

Vermont State Board of Nursing
81 River Street
Heritage Building
Montpelier, VT 05609-1106
Phone: (802) 828-2396
Fax: (802) 828-2484

Vermont State Nurses Association

• Vermont Department of Health