Medical Assistant Schools & Salaries In New York

Medical assisting in New York is an in-demand profession, with over 1,000 new jobs being added every year from 2012 to 2022. Medical assistants can choose to work in the front office, where they work with such necessities as scheduling or billing, or they might work the back office, which puts them in direct patient contact by taking vital signs or collecting laboratory specimens. Medical assisting schools and programs in New York prepare students to take their certification exams and handle roles in both parts of the medical office.

Discover what students can expect during their education and training and after graduation when they start earning a paycheck.

A career as a medical assistant begins with a certificate or degree from a quality college, with graduates going on to enter the workforce or continue on with their education. Medical assistants work hand-in-hand with physicians and other medical staff to take care of patients and endure all medical records are in order. To find a program that offers quality instruction, small class sizes and reasonable tuition rates, you need to do your homework. We’ve done the research for you by analyzing schools in New York based on our criteria. Check out the top-ranking schools with medical assisting programs in New York below.

Explore programs of your interests with the high-quality standards and flexibility you need to take your career to the next level.

New York doesn’t explicitly define what a medical assistant is; however, the New York State Board for Medicine considers medical assistants as “unlicensed persons” in terms of medical duties. The Board goes on to delineate exactly what a medical assistant can and cannot do. In New York, medical assistants are allowed to perform the following duties:

Of course this is not an exhaustive list. Medical assistants in New York must be supervised at all times by their supervising physician.

Technically, no – certification is not required. However, many employers prefer it, as certification proves a basic level of knowledge and skills that are vitally necessary in order for a medical assistant to perform their job well. Those who choose to obtain certification might have an advantage among a field of otherwise qualified applicants.

The following certifications are recognized across the nation, including by employers in New York.

New York does not require formal education to become a medical assistant. However, medical assistants who prefer to earn certification must graduate from a medical assisting program in order to sit for the examination. There are numerous schools in New York that offer medical assisting programs, culminating in either a certificate or an associate degree.

The New York State Board for Medicine has issued a list of tasks that medical assistants are not permitted to engage in. These tasks include, but may not be limited to:

Medical assistants in New York see a median annual wage that is higher than wages for medical assistants across the rest of the nation. The following chart offers further comparison.

Source: BLS, 2014

Medical assistants in the state of New York might see varying salaries, depending upon the geographical area. For instance, those who work in the Buffalo area might make more than those who work in the Binghamton area, or those who work in the Suffolk metro area might see higher pay than those who work in Ithaca. Below is a breakdown of annual medians and hourly wages, depending upon the specific area.

Source: BLS, 2014

Employment of medical assistants in New York is expected to grow quite rapidly at over 26 percent, with over 1,000 new jobs added each year. The following table goes into more detail on employment trends from 2012 to 2022.

Source: Projections Central, 2012-2022

There are several schools in New York that offer accredited programs in medical assisting. Some of these programs offer either certificate or associate programs, while some schools offer both.