Medical assistant jobs in Massachusetts

The typical yearly pay is $49,460, which comes to $23.78 an hour. Half of medical assistants earn more than that figure, and half earn less. Nationally, the median is $45,690. Massachusetts places 7 out of 51 for pay, a count that covers the 50 states plus Washington, DC (BLS).

Most of the positions are in and around Boston, which also offers the strongest pay. These numbers cover entire metro areas, so some positions counted under Boston and Providence are actually located across the border in New Hampshire or Rhode Island (BLS).

• Boston-Cambridge-Newton: 10,750 medical assistant jobs, median pay $50,740 a year
• Providence-Warwick: 4,120 medical assistant jobs, median pay $47,020 a year
• Worcester: 1,770 medical assistant jobs, median pay $47,240 a year
• Springfield: 1,280 medical assistant jobs, median pay $48,510 a year
• Barnstable Town: 380 medical assistant jobs, median pay $49,900 a year

Choosing a program close to the place you want to work makes getting to your clinical hours easier, so begin by checking out schools in your own area.

Yes, there should be plenty. The state labor agency forecasts around 2,190 openings annually, including brand new jobs and positions left behind when people leave the work. That puts Massachusetts 18 out of 51 for openings (Projections Central).

Job growth runs at a slower pace than the nation as a whole. The number of positions is projected to climb from 16,470 in 2024 all the way to 17,960 in 2034, an increase of 9.0% compared with 12.5% for the US. Massachusetts sits 47 out of 51 for growth, so openings driven by people leaving their jobs will account for most of the total.

Massachusetts does not license medical assistants, and medical board rules prevent medical tasks from being handed to people who lack a license. There is one notable exception. Since 2016, state law has allowed primary care providers to assign shots to certified medical assistants. Assigning a task means the provider hands it to you and remains responsible for it.

For this kind of shot work, you must have finished an accredited program, and the provider needs to be present in the building and prepared to step in. Guidance from the state health department also accepts either a graduate who has passed a certification exam or a person with 3 or more years of experience administering shots. Working with x-rays follows a separate path: it requires a state radiologic technologist license, though medical offices have a limited option available.

A program qualifies as accredited once CAAHEP or ABHES, the 2 national organizations that evaluate medical assistant training, has reviewed and approved it. In Massachusetts, finishing an accredited program is the standard route to giving shots, and many primary care offices expect it. Among the 17 schools listed in Massachusetts on this site, 8 offer an accredited program (College Navigator).

An accredited program opens the widest range of job possibilities, so begin your search with those 8 schools.

Nationwide, career school programs last a median of 9 months, and most students finish in 7 to 9 months (IPEDS). Career schools charge a median whole-program price of $17,257. At a public college, one year of full-time study carries a median tuition and fees figure of $4,346.

Some programs include online classes. Even then, the externship happens on site. An externship means supervised practice in an actual clinic or office. Nationwide, 30 programs offer all of their classes through distance education, and 14 of those programs hold accreditation.