Medical assistant jobs in Tennessee

Around 19,180 people work as medical assistants in Tennessee. That's 5.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the state, which puts Tennessee 15th among the 50 states and DC.

The state's labor agency predicts about 2,760 openings each year. These cover positions that are newly created and ones that open up when workers retire or leave. Tennessee is also 15th for openings each year.

Tennessee's medical assistant jobs are projected to increase, reaching 22,220 by 2034 from 19,150 in 2024. That is a 16.0% increase, which beats the 12.5% growth expected across the US as a whole. For this growth rate, Tennessee ranks 23 of 51.

In Tennessee, medical assistants earn a median of $39,570 a year, equal to about $19.02 an hour. Median means the middle of the range, so half of workers earn more than that and half earn less. Nationally, the median is $45,690, and Tennessee sits at 41 of 51 for pay.

The middle half of assistants in the state make $37,160 to $45,580 a year. At the bottom, the lowest-paid tenth earns $34,840 or less, while at the top, the best-paid tenth earns $48,540 or more each year.

Your location matters for both job openings and wages. Among Tennessee's larger metro areas, Nashville has the most positions and the highest median pay.

The numbers come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Parts of neighboring states fall within both the Memphis and Chattanooga areas.

Not in Tennessee. The state does not license medical assistants. According to the Board of Medical Examiners, doctors may assign routine, technical duties that you have been trained to perform. The doctor needs to be on site or immediately available while you do this work.

Certain jobs want additional credentials:

• Hospital-owned outpatient clinics: a separate law allows medical assistants with national certification to give injections and vaccines when they are ordered. As of 2026, physician assistants can assign these duties as well.
• Taking x-rays in a physician's office: the Board of Medical Examiners requires an x-ray certification.

You can find 24 Tennessee schools listed here that report their medical assistant graduates to the federal government. Eight of those schools run accredited programs, approved by CAAHEP or ABHES.

Most career school programs nationwide take 7 to 9 months, and the typical one takes about 9. At 392 career schools that publish a whole-program price, the median is $17,257 for tuition, fees and books. At a public college, a full year of study costs in-district students a median of $4,346 in tuition and fees. Some programs teach classes by distance education.

The supervised clinical practice, called an externship, is always in person.

Found a program that fits? Choose one accredited program from the program table and send the short "Request information" form with your name, email, phone, ZIP code and when you'd like to start. It goes straight to that one school, so you can ask about cost, start dates and where you'd do your clinical hours.