How people get into Medical Assistants

What it takes to do this work

No state licence that we can see, but employers commonly ask for Certified Medical Assistant. That is an employer preference rather than a legal gate, so some will hire and train instead. Financial aid is available for it, and WorkOne can tell you what it covers.

Financial aid means you may not pay this yourself. WorkOne checks what you qualify for at no cost and no obligation, and it is worth doing before you rule anything out on price.

The jobs people hold first

These are the jobs people hold before moving into this one. Doing one of them is not the only way in, and it is not a requirement. It is the route the data can actually see.

Work people come from	Typical pay	Step up	Evidence
Nursing Assistants Employers often ask for: Certified Nursing Assistant aid available I do this now →	$38,880	+$8,020	Related work
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants No licence we can see I do this now →	$46,030	+$870	Related work
Pharmacy Technicians Employers often ask for: Certified Pharmacy Technician aid available I do this now →	$45,540	+$1,360	Related work
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers No licence we can see I do this now →	$37,330	+$9,570	Related work
Opticians, Dispensing No licence we can see I do this now →	$39,580	+$7,320	Related work
Ophthalmic Medical Technicians No licence we can see I do this now →	$44,230	+$2,670	Related work
Phlebotomists Employers often ask for: Certified Phlebotomy Technician aid available I do this now →	$41,550	+$5,350	Related work
Physical Therapist Aides No licence we can see I do this now →	$38,050	+$8,850	Related work

Related work The federal O*NET occupation index lists this as related to your kind of work, because the two share skills and day-to-day activities. It is a match on the work itself, not a record of people moving between them.

We keep those labels apart because they are different strength claims, and none of them means we watched individual people make the move.

Routes that already pay more than medical assistants are left out, because those are side moves rather than ways in. So are routes needing more schooling than you told us about.

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