Medical assistant jobs in Virginia

Roughly 16,650 people work as medical assistants in Virginia. That equals 4.1 medical assistants per 1,000 statewide jobs. Virginia ranks 16th among the 50 states and Washington, DC for this kind of work, and the numbers come from federal wage data.

Virginia's labor agency expects around 2,380 openings each year. That total covers brand-new positions as well as roles that open up when people leave the field. Virginia also places 16th of 51 for yearly openings, according to state projections.

The state expects the number of these jobs to reach 18,150 by 2034, up from 16,090 in 2024. That is a rise of 12.8%, a touch faster than the 12.5% expected nationwide.

Virginia's median medical assistant earns $44,740 yearly, which works out to $21.51 hourly. Since this is a median, half of workers earn more and half earn less. Nationally, the median sits at $45,690, so Virginia's figure runs a little lower. The state ranks 29th of 51 for pay.

For the middle half of Virginia medical assistants, earnings range from $38,840 to $46,570. The bottom tenth make $37,090 or less, while the top tenth earn $52,000 or more, according to federal wage data.

Pay changes a lot depending on where you live. Here is how five areas compare.

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro (DC, VA, MD, WV) has 13,890 jobs and a median annual pay of $46,640. Richmond has 3,210 jobs at $44,490, while Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk (VA, NC) has 3,040 jobs at $43,620. Kingsport-Bristol (TN, VA) has 690 jobs at $38,040, and Roanoke has 670 jobs at $37,780.

The Washington area has the most jobs and the highest pay of the five areas listed, though it extends beyond Virginia. Roanoke and Kingsport-Bristol have far fewer jobs and lower pay. If you plan to stay in your current area, use its numbers to help you weigh training costs.

You do not need one. Virginia does not require a medical assistant license, though you must be properly trained for the tasks you perform.

The arrangement works like this: a physician assigns you routine duties that fall outside professional judgment, and the physician remains responsible for those tasks. With suitable training, you may give medication to one patient following a specific order while the prescriber supervises you directly. Certain routes are off limits, including IV delivery, spinal administration and epidural administration, under Virginia law.

Taking x-rays falls under separate rules. That work generally calls for a limited radiologic technologist license issued by the Board of Medicine, and a medical assistant job on its own does not give you one.

You will find 8 Virginia schools here that send their medical assistant graduate numbers to the federal education survey. Six of them run programs accredited by CAAHEP or ABHES. Accreditation means an outside group has reviewed the program against a set standard. Those six accredited programs are the ones you can contact through the form. The school counts come from the federal college search, and the Virginia programs page lists all eight schools.

Across the country, career school programs have a median completion time of 9 months, and most run between 7 and 9 months. Among career schools that publish prices this way, the median program cost comes to $17,257, which includes tuition, plus fees and books. At public colleges, the median charge for tuition and fees for a full year of full-time study is $4,346 for students who live in district, and these figures come from federal education data. Each Virginia school sets its own price, and that is the number to compare against pay in your metro area.

Some programs offer their coursework through distance education. The supervised clinical practice, often called an externship, is in person, so plan for that time in your schedule.

There is no license to obtain and 6 accredited programs operate in the state, so your decision comes down to which school to contact. After the program tables on the Virginia programs page, choose one accredited program and use the "Request information" form to send your request to that school only. Give your name, email, phone, ZIP code and start time.

Pick the accredited Virginia program that appeals to you and send that school the short Request information form today.