Medical assistant jobs in Illinois

At the median, an Illinois medical assistant earns $46,090 each year, which works out to $22.16 an hour. That middle number splits workers in half, with some earning more and others less. Nationally, the median is $45,690. Illinois comes in at 21 of 51 when you rank the states along with Washington, DC.

Looking at the middle half of Illinois medical assistants, yearly earnings fall between $38,970 and $49,460. At the bottom, one in ten earns $36,400 or under. At the top, one in ten brings home $56,590 or above.

Chicago and its surrounding area lead the state in jobs and in pay. Some of these metro areas stretch across a state line, so their totals also count jobs just over the line.

The numbers come from the federal wage survey. Counting medical assistant jobs, Illinois places 12 of 51. Put another way, there are 3.3 medical assistants for each 1,000 jobs statewide.

The state labor agency predicts roughly 3,190 medical assistant openings annually. This total covers newly created roles plus jobs that open up when workers leave or retire. For yearly openings, Illinois ranks 11 of 51.

Job totals are projected to grow across the decade, with 23,500 jobs in 2024 and 26,060 by 2034, a gain of 10.9%. The US figure is 12.5%. On growth, Illinois sits 43 of 51. Because of that, hiring chances mostly come from workers leaving jobs that employers need to fill, rather than from brand-new jobs alone.

Not in Illinois. The state's law never uses that job title, and it offers no certification for these workers. The Illinois Medical Practice Act lets medical assistants serve as unlicensed personnel under a doctor's delegation: a doctor who holds a license passes certain tasks to you and remains responsible for them. On site, a licensed professional must be present while you work.

Nurses may hand off tasks as well. Still, nurses may delegate medication tasks to unlicensed staff only in community-based or in-home settings.

With no state rule in place, each employer chooses the training and national certification they want. Choosing a program that readies you for national certification widens the list of jobs you can apply for.

Our list includes 39 Illinois schools that report graduates in this field, and 21 of them run accredited programs. Accreditation means an approved national organization, CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program against its standards.

Nationally, career school programs last a median of 9 months, with most running 7 to 9 months. At career schools, the median price for the whole program comes to $17,257, covering tuition, fees and books. Public colleges charge a median of $4,346 for one year of full-time study for in-district students.

Some programs include online classes, but the externship happens in person. An externship means supervised practice in a working clinic or office, where you handle patients before finishing school.

To begin, pick an accredited program from our Illinois programs page. Next, complete that school's brief "Request information" form, including your name, email, phone, ZIP code and preferred start date.