Medical Assistant Wages

Wages—Pay—Benefits

One important factor when it comes to pay is where the medical assistant works, regional labor market conditions, and for whom they works! Medical assistants in large metropolices, employed by a specialty physician, or in large group practices earn more than those working in a small rural family physician's office (small offices tend to pay lower wages although it doesn't necessarily mean less work).

The Big Divide: Why Do Primary Care Physicians Pay Less than Specialty Care Physicians?

Wages are commensurate with skill level, responsibilities, and years of experience in the field. However, when it comes to working in a medical office there often are significant differences in pay depending on the type of office they are in. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the median annual wage-and-salary for medical assistants was $26,290 in May 2006.

Although medical assistant working in primary care with a family physician use by far a wider range of clinical skills and deal with a much wider range of different situations as their counterparts in specialty care, they usually receive considerably less pay. Reason: primary care physicians receive less money for their services than specialty doctors, or surgeons. Unfortunately this directly affects the pay rate they are able to offer their staff.

Why the Difference in Pay?

Because doctors that have specialized in a certain field, such as gynecology, cardiology, hematology, or surgery can bill insurance companies and patients much more for their services than family physicians, which means they can also afford to offer higher pay, and better benefits packages to their staff.

REMEMBER:
Fringe Benefits are Good to Have, Too

If you are looking for work and you are offered a job that pays a little lower than "elsewhere" wages, but offers fringe benefits, you should consider it! Fringe benefits are valuable services, or privileges provided to an employee by an employer in addition to salary. It is to be regarded as "compensation" in lieu of cash. Some fringe benefits (for example, accident and health plans and group-term life insurance) may be excluded from the employee's gross income and, therefore, are not subject to federal income tax.

What are possible fringe benefits?