Medical assistant jobs in New York

The typical yearly salary for medical assistants in New York is $48,000, equal to $23.08 per hour (BLS). That middle figure splits the workers in half, with half earning more and half earning less. That beats the US median of $45,690 and puts New York 12th of the 50 states and DC for pay.

Pay for the middle half of state workers runs from $43,600 to $55,120 a year. The bottom tenth makes $37,280 or less, while the top tenth brings in $59,480 or more.

The metro area around New York City leads by a wide margin. Each metro area gets its own figures here, and the New York City area also includes stretches of New Jersey (BLS).

• New York-Newark-Jersey City: 44,060 jobs, with median yearly pay of $48,370
• Buffalo-Cheektowaga: 2,310 jobs, with median yearly pay of $44,650
• Rochester: 1,890 jobs, with median yearly pay of $41,710
• Albany-Schenectady-Troy: 1,390 jobs, with median yearly pay of $44,870
• Syracuse: 1,230 jobs, with median yearly pay of $44,250

State labor officials predict roughly 5,920 medical assistant openings every year. New positions count toward this number, along with jobs that open up when workers leave. New York ranks 4th of the 50 states and DC for openings (Projections Central).

Between 2024 and 2034, the job count is expected to rise from 42,340 to 47,960. That works out to 13.3% growth, slightly higher than the 12.5% US rate, and it puts New York 31st of the 50 states and DC for growth.

New York sets the strictest limits of any state for medical assistants, so it helps to know what the job does and doesn't include before you train. According to the State Board for Medicine, these workers cannot give medication by any method, cannot prepare syringes, and cannot give vaccines or injections. Triage, IV work and x-rays are also off limits for them. Triage means working out how urgent a patient's problem is.

Working as a medical assistant in New York requires no certification. Holding a national certification does not grant any added permissions here. Bill S5340 would allow medical assistants to administer vaccines with direct supervision. The Senate passed it, but it is not law.

New York does not require medical assistants to hold a state certification, but you can still compare New York training programs on this site. This site lists 33 New York schools that share their graduate counts with the federal education survey. Twelve of them offer an accredited program (College Navigator). Accreditation means an outside organization, either CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program against set standards.

Nationally, career schools that price the whole program show a median price of $17,257, covering tuition, fees and books. Public colleges charge a median of $4,346 per year for local students attending full time (IPEDS). Most career school programs last about seven to nine months, and the median length is nine months.

Some programs let you take classes through distance learning if you would rather study at home. You still need to complete the supervised clinical practice in person at a clinic or office. That hands-on part is often called an externship. Nationwide, 30 programs can be completed this way, and 14 of those are accredited.

One short "Request information" form sits after the New York program tables, and your request goes to the one accredited program you pick.

1. Browse the New York program list and select an accredited program.
2. Fill out the form found after the program tables with your name, email, phone, ZIP code and preferred start date.
3. Submit the form, and it lands with that school, so you can learn about cost and start dates straight from the people who run the program.

With 12 New York schools offering an accredited program and about 5,920 openings a year, now is a good time to pick a program near you and send the short form.