Medical assistant scope of practice in Maryland
In Maryland, a medical assistant's scope of practice comes from the delegating physician, who can assign you only routine technical tasks you have been trained to do and who remains responsible for them. There is no state license for medical assistants here. State rules explain which duties a physician can assign, which ones call for the physician to be physically present, and which ones cannot be delegated at all.
- Maryland has no state license, certificate or registration for medical assistants
- Drawing blood away from a hospital: no on-site supervision required
- Injections given into skin or muscle: a physician must be on site
- Physical exams and medical advice: a physician cannot hand these off
- Who sets the rules
- Maryland Board of Physicians, COMAR 10.32.12 (text via AAMA)
- State credential for medical assistants
- None required
- Supervision
- direct supervision, on-site supervision, or no on-site supervision depending on the act
What Maryland rules say a medical assistant may do
| Task | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State credential | Maryland's delegation rules do not create licensure, certification or registration for assistants. | COMAR 10.32.12.01B(1) |
| Delegation | A delegating physician may delegate only routine technical acts that are customary to the practice and for which the assistant has been trained, and remains responsible for them. | COMAR 10.32.12.03A |
| Blood draws | Phlebotomy (collecting and processing specimens) may be delegated without on-site supervision at non-hospital sites. | COMAR 10.32.12.04D(1)(c) |
| Medications | Preparing and administering oral drugs may be delegated without on-site supervision. | COMAR 10.32.12.04D(1)(i) |
| Injections | Intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular injections may be delegated with on-site supervision. | COMAR 10.32.12.04D(2)(a) |
| IV therapy | Establishing a peripheral IV line needs on-site supervision, and injecting IV drugs or contrast needs direct supervision. | COMAR 10.32.12.04D(2)(b), (3) |
| Not allowed | Maryland physicians may not delegate physical exams, anesthesia or conscious sedation (other than topical or small-amount local), independent treatment, dispensing medications, or medical advice without a physician. | COMAR 10.32.12.04E |
Delegation is what the job rests on
A physician delegates work by handing you a task and remaining responsible for the results. Under the state regulations, the task must be a routine technical act that fits the practice, and you must have the training to perform it.
Even a routine task is off limits until you have been trained to do it.
Is there a Maryland license for medical assistants?
There isn't one. The delegation rules in Maryland do not establish licensure, certification or registration for assistants. The work you may perform comes from the physician who delegates it and from the training you have finished.
Your training decides which tasks you can be given, so it pays to start with a strong program. Ready to choose a program? Open the Maryland program page, pick an accredited program from the tables, and send the short Request information form to that one school.
Each task and the supervision it needs
With on-site supervision, the physician is physically present at your workplace while you carry out the task. Giving IV drugs or contrast is the one task here that calls for direct supervision.
| What you do | Level of supervision in Maryland |
|---|---|
| Collecting blood and handling specimens, away from a hospital | No on-site supervision required |
| Getting medicines ready and giving them by mouth | No on-site supervision required |
| Shots placed into the skin, beneath the skin or into muscle tissue | On-site supervision |
| Starting a peripheral IV line | On-site supervision |
| Giving IV drugs or contrast | Direct supervision |
Each entry comes from the Maryland regulations. For every task, you still need the training, it has to be routine for that practice, and the physician who hands it to you stays responsible for it.
What duties stay off your list in Maryland?
Maryland physicians may not delegate any of the following duties:
- Physical exams
- Anesthesia or conscious sedation, apart from numbing the skin with a topical agent or a small amount of local anesthetic
- Treating patients independently
- Dispensing medications (different from preparing and giving oral medicines)
- Giving medical advice without a physician
Conscious sedation refers to drugs that calm a patient down but keep them awake while a procedure is done. A physician cannot delegate the duties on this list, except for the limited topical or local anesthetic use.
Training to work within these rules
Nationwide, our directory covers 1,094 medical assistant programs, and 484 of them hold accreditation from CAAHEP or ABHES. At the 378 career schools that report program length, the typical program takes 9 months. At the 392 career schools that publish a whole-program price, the median is $17,257 for tuition, fees and books.
Some programs offer classes through distance education. The supervised clinical practice, known as an externship, always takes place in person.
In May 2025, the median pay for this occupation was $45,690 per year, or $21.97 per hour. Want training for this work? On our Maryland program page, choose an accredited program and use the short Request information form to contact that school.
This plain summary is not legal advice; the statute or board rule linked in the table is the authority. Rules change, so check the source before you rely on a task.
Certification rules in Maryland · Medical assistant programs in Maryland · Jobs in Maryland · Scope of practice in every state
Nearby: Scope of practice in Pennsylvania · Scope of practice in Virginia · Scope of practice in California