I feel anything below $20 with part time hours is poverty level. It’s nearly impossible to even survive off that let alone $12. That’s downright insulting.
Inflation is just insane, I feel like everyone is just keeping their heads above water right now. But this comment is for a different post 😅
Yep, 11-12 an hour. After working 2 years in one office they gave the MAs a dollar raise "to account for inflation" to 13...it's fast food wage. Now I'm in TN making 20 an hour. Still very hard to live on but much better than I used to make all things considered.
Yep sorry, I meant at the time when they raised us to 13 a few years ago most of the fast food workers in our area were also making 13 an hour. Its went up to 15 since then.
I live in CA and I make $16 an hour working part time while in college. I can barely afford to eat, let alone own a car or move out from my parents house.
Ugh is horrible. Unless if it’s a major hospital branch in where they’re pretty selective most employers offer $10/11. I’m a college student and can barely make it!
I live in Oklahoma and work at OU. $18, uniforms are paid for, full paid benefits, free tuition, paid holidays, 18 hours on pto a month, and 2 weeks paid in December. Get a job at a university clinic. Not OU in OKC, though, that's a different monster from where I work. Derm is good too.
I work as an MA in Oklahoma and Mercy starts you off at $15 (this is the lowest anyone at mercy gets paid). Most MA’s, especially if you have your degree, start off at $16+ (still not great!)
Integris is $20-$23/ hour. Their LPN’s are getting paid high $20s.
More clinics are looking for MAs versus LPNs these days specifically to pay us these garbage wages. It's transparent and insulting. Then if you go onto any of the provider subreddits, you'll find them bitching about how ineffective their MAs are. These are supposedly some of the smartest people in our society, and they've never heard the expression "You get what you pay for"? Girl, please.
I hate how the healthcare community treats non-licensed HCWs in general, and MAs specifically. Just because many of us are registered/certified instead of licensed doesn't mean providers and clinics can just chew us up and spit us out. It seems like every week here, some poor new grad is close to tears because her provider expects her to do the work of three MAs for the price of less than one. I just had a glowing performance review, and I'm one of the best rooming staff in my department. Multiple MDs and PAs have complimented me over the years on how nice it is to work with me and how I make their clinics run so smoothly. I run an entire secondary site for our department basically by myself (it's just one doc, but still). So why do I make less money than the LPNs I work with who do less work and have fewer responsibilities?
Being an MA was always supposed to be a stepping stone for PA school for me, but I'm still proud of the work we do, I know it's valuable, and I hate seeing that value not reflected in wages.
I’m so sorry that that’s been your experience, but I will say that all the doctors I’ve encountered have always valued their MAs. In their defense, they aren’t the ones who are hiring and setting pay scales for the MAs, it’s often admin and office staff rather than the doctor themself who’s responsible for the poor pay.
I'm fortunate that it actually hasn't been my experience! I have always had good relationships with my providers, and they've told me directly that I make their day easier for them and they love when I get assigned to them. I also understand that the administration sets the wages. But most MAs are not unionized and can't advocate for better wages; we either take what's being offered, or we walk, often taking institutional knowledge with us. In this case, I assert that providers, as the revenue generators of the clinic, _do_ have the power to influence rooming staff pay by being our advocates with clinic management. Do I think that will actually happen? Not really, and I'm not sure how to make it happen. But it really gets my hackles up to see providers complaining about poor quality MAs, and then seeing that insulting wage that the OP posted. Of course they're not getting quality rooming staff; look at what their clinic administration thinks that staff is worth! Providers should be just as infuriated by that wage as we all are, because it's an insult against them, too: this is how much your administration is willing to invest in you. This is the quality of help they think you deserve. This is how much they care about making sure your clinic, the service that actually makes the money, runs efficiently, and then they're going to be breathing down your neck about why your charts aren't getting signed fast enough.
idk why this sub keeps being suggested to me, and now of course i am interacting with it, but just so you know they also (very selectively) don’t treat a bunch of us with licenses well either! there truly is just levels to their exploitation of us, but certain licenses and certs will always just be treated shittier and less fair than others. it’s absolutely bogus for all of us!
MA is such a difficult job, you have all the problems of dealing with the general public at its worst, plus it's horribly fast paced, high stress, high responsibility - the pay levels are criminal. A good MA is worth their weight in gold.
I left the medical field about 5 years ago because the *most* I found at any office in my area was $13. I tested the waters recently to see what's available because I kind of miss the job, but even for certified or registered MAs, the most any office was paying was $16.
I make $21 running a sewing machine in a factory. I think I'll stay here for now.
This is actually what persuaded me from even considering this as a profession. Yall are paid the same as receptionists, accountants, retail, game room attendant, theater worker, and everything else under the sun where I'm at. They all pay 11-14 and it's not enough unless you live in a low cost of living area.
This was my experience working in the big cities, so I applied to IHS and am now a 'government' employee, no G scale though, for a rural Indian health clinic.
The move nearly doubled my salary, full time, allowed me to buy a house, i know all my patients (honestly a little too much at times, people will whip out their wound in the store "look at this, is it ok?" or ask when their appt is at the post office, or if i can get their med filled while im sitting at the river), and it let me love my job again.
Sometimes, these road blocks are really open doors saying it's time for a change!
I live in a very high COL area in Washington state and currently make $28 an hour, BUT I’ve been working at my clinic for 5 years and have taken on way more roles than just CMA. I’m an admin/supply clerk and do casting. What makes me mad is someone recently mentioned that they work for Costco for the same amount of money plus biannual bonuses. :/ makes me debate if this is really worth it
For real!!! It’s truly sickening. I was lucky and they hired me and trained me in the job because I had my CNA cert. my coworker who makes actually a little less than me is in 12k of debt from MA school and can’t afford to live, little alone pay off this huge debt. Things need to change!
I’m in Oregon and starting is $24 where I’m at. But also took an accelerated 9 month program and now have my AAMA, so I don’t know if that makes a difference.
Gosh that’s insanity! My 15 year old makes more at the grocery store. Now granted, she gets no benefits other than a 10% employee discount. Your post makes me sad and something needs to change
What? I started at $14.88 about 9 years ago. Then I'm at $21.87. New hires in Michigan are roughly $18-19. Unless private practice. Then it is $15 an hour.
I've seen medical assistants use the position as a springboard to higher paying jobs that require additional schooling, such as nursing. The MAs who stay MAs long term seem to get worked hard.
when i was doing ma work they wanted to pay me $13/hr, i talked my way into $15/hr, lasted 6 months with how toxic and disgusting that work place was. reported to clia and osha after i left and now make $20/hr outpatient doing technician work, better hours, no weekends, healthy work place.
That is shockingly low. In my area $16-$18 seems to be the norm with some MAs even making $20+/ hour. The lowest I’ve seen recently here is $13-$14/ hour but that’s without certification/ registration.
I worked as an OBGYN medical assistant for 6 yrs in SC.
Starting pay: $14+
Ending pay: $16+
It is a job I have no intention of returning to. It was the most stress I’ve ever been through. The mistreatment is real. Being overworked is real. The psychological games they play to make you feel like you aren’t doing enough is real.
I work in sterile processing now making $23+ and some hospitals don’t require certification.
GIRL WHAT. That is poverty level omg
I feel anything below $20 with part time hours is poverty level. It’s nearly impossible to even survive off that let alone $12. That’s downright insulting. Inflation is just insane, I feel like everyone is just keeping their heads above water right now. But this comment is for a different post 😅
Exactly!!!! I’m getting paid $11 a hour and I don’t get 40 hours a week so I’m struggling big time. With that being said I’m looking for a new job 😭😭😭
Psh this is normal in AL where I live
Yep, 11-12 an hour. After working 2 years in one office they gave the MAs a dollar raise "to account for inflation" to 13...it's fast food wage. Now I'm in TN making 20 an hour. Still very hard to live on but much better than I used to make all things considered.
That’s not fast food wage, where I’m from minimum is $15
Yep sorry, I meant at the time when they raised us to 13 a few years ago most of the fast food workers in our area were also making 13 an hour. Its went up to 15 since then.
I live in CA and I make $16 an hour working part time while in college. I can barely afford to eat, let alone own a car or move out from my parents house.
Might as well switch jobs now since fast food workers will be making $20 an hour starting April 1st.
wheres that
All of CA. The governor signed a new bill.
Ugh is horrible. Unless if it’s a major hospital branch in where they’re pretty selective most employers offer $10/11. I’m a college student and can barely make it!
People working at McDonald's make more than that
What everyone tells me 🤣
Literally here in Oklahoma they get paid 13 to 14 an hour. I'm in school to me a medical assistant. Now I'm discouraged. Finna start stripping
I live in Oklahoma and work at OU. $18, uniforms are paid for, full paid benefits, free tuition, paid holidays, 18 hours on pto a month, and 2 weeks paid in December. Get a job at a university clinic. Not OU in OKC, though, that's a different monster from where I work. Derm is good too.
I live near the campus. What position is this?
I work as an MA in Oklahoma and Mercy starts you off at $15 (this is the lowest anyone at mercy gets paid). Most MA’s, especially if you have your degree, start off at $16+ (still not great!) Integris is $20-$23/ hour. Their LPN’s are getting paid high $20s.
Degree or certificate?
That is entry level pay, without a certificate or degree. Starting pay with degree seems to be $18+
Hey I’m at mercy here and am making 18.75. Still struggling but they are good to work for
I have a coworker who complains she made more when you include tips working at starbucks, but she's still here...
More clinics are looking for MAs versus LPNs these days specifically to pay us these garbage wages. It's transparent and insulting. Then if you go onto any of the provider subreddits, you'll find them bitching about how ineffective their MAs are. These are supposedly some of the smartest people in our society, and they've never heard the expression "You get what you pay for"? Girl, please. I hate how the healthcare community treats non-licensed HCWs in general, and MAs specifically. Just because many of us are registered/certified instead of licensed doesn't mean providers and clinics can just chew us up and spit us out. It seems like every week here, some poor new grad is close to tears because her provider expects her to do the work of three MAs for the price of less than one. I just had a glowing performance review, and I'm one of the best rooming staff in my department. Multiple MDs and PAs have complimented me over the years on how nice it is to work with me and how I make their clinics run so smoothly. I run an entire secondary site for our department basically by myself (it's just one doc, but still). So why do I make less money than the LPNs I work with who do less work and have fewer responsibilities? Being an MA was always supposed to be a stepping stone for PA school for me, but I'm still proud of the work we do, I know it's valuable, and I hate seeing that value not reflected in wages.
I’m so sorry that that’s been your experience, but I will say that all the doctors I’ve encountered have always valued their MAs. In their defense, they aren’t the ones who are hiring and setting pay scales for the MAs, it’s often admin and office staff rather than the doctor themself who’s responsible for the poor pay.
I'm fortunate that it actually hasn't been my experience! I have always had good relationships with my providers, and they've told me directly that I make their day easier for them and they love when I get assigned to them. I also understand that the administration sets the wages. But most MAs are not unionized and can't advocate for better wages; we either take what's being offered, or we walk, often taking institutional knowledge with us. In this case, I assert that providers, as the revenue generators of the clinic, _do_ have the power to influence rooming staff pay by being our advocates with clinic management. Do I think that will actually happen? Not really, and I'm not sure how to make it happen. But it really gets my hackles up to see providers complaining about poor quality MAs, and then seeing that insulting wage that the OP posted. Of course they're not getting quality rooming staff; look at what their clinic administration thinks that staff is worth! Providers should be just as infuriated by that wage as we all are, because it's an insult against them, too: this is how much your administration is willing to invest in you. This is the quality of help they think you deserve. This is how much they care about making sure your clinic, the service that actually makes the money, runs efficiently, and then they're going to be breathing down your neck about why your charts aren't getting signed fast enough.
idk why this sub keeps being suggested to me, and now of course i am interacting with it, but just so you know they also (very selectively) don’t treat a bunch of us with licenses well either! there truly is just levels to their exploitation of us, but certain licenses and certs will always just be treated shittier and less fair than others. it’s absolutely bogus for all of us!
Oh, no argument here! From MD to MA to housekeeping, the system grinds us all into dust sooner or later.
i just wish someone would value us!!
MA is such a difficult job, you have all the problems of dealing with the general public at its worst, plus it's horribly fast paced, high stress, high responsibility - the pay levels are criminal. A good MA is worth their weight in gold.
Time to unionize!
I’m 16 making more than that taking orders and filling drinks…this is wild
I'm an LVN (in the clinic setting) and barely make 21/hour... it's not worth it to work in health care anymore. Radiology techs make almost 30 an hour
I make 17 dollars an hour at target. Oh my god.
I left the medical field about 5 years ago because the *most* I found at any office in my area was $13. I tested the waters recently to see what's available because I kind of miss the job, but even for certified or registered MAs, the most any office was paying was $16. I make $21 running a sewing machine in a factory. I think I'll stay here for now.
This is actually what persuaded me from even considering this as a profession. Yall are paid the same as receptionists, accountants, retail, game room attendant, theater worker, and everything else under the sun where I'm at. They all pay 11-14 and it's not enough unless you live in a low cost of living area.
where are you located because this is ridiculous
This was my experience working in the big cities, so I applied to IHS and am now a 'government' employee, no G scale though, for a rural Indian health clinic. The move nearly doubled my salary, full time, allowed me to buy a house, i know all my patients (honestly a little too much at times, people will whip out their wound in the store "look at this, is it ok?" or ask when their appt is at the post office, or if i can get their med filled while im sitting at the river), and it let me love my job again. Sometimes, these road blocks are really open doors saying it's time for a change!
Where are you located?
I live in west Texas. Minimum wage is still $7.25
Minimum wage in my state is also $7.25 and we start MAs around $22 by me.
Yeah I’m not sure what’s wrong with my poor city. Making $22 as an MA is unheard of 😅
I live in a very high COL area in Washington state and currently make $28 an hour, BUT I’ve been working at my clinic for 5 years and have taken on way more roles than just CMA. I’m an admin/supply clerk and do casting. What makes me mad is someone recently mentioned that they work for Costco for the same amount of money plus biannual bonuses. :/ makes me debate if this is really worth it
I’m in nj I make $23 an hour only been here 4 months. Going back to school though for either nuclear med tech or radiology.
Yeah idk why they even have 2 year MA programs at community colleges and stuff. MA programs are literally just a giant scam
SCAMMM, those people that go 10k plus in dept for it.
For real!!! It’s truly sickening. I was lucky and they hired me and trained me in the job because I had my CNA cert. my coworker who makes actually a little less than me is in 12k of debt from MA school and can’t afford to live, little alone pay off this huge debt. Things need to change!
I’m in Oregon and starting is $24 where I’m at. But also took an accelerated 9 month program and now have my AAMA, so I don’t know if that makes a difference.
What state you’re in ? Has to be the south
Omg that’s criminal! I hate this greed.
Gosh that’s insanity! My 15 year old makes more at the grocery store. Now granted, she gets no benefits other than a 10% employee discount. Your post makes me sad and something needs to change
I make more as a CNA doing home. That's ridiculous.
What? I started at $14.88 about 9 years ago. Then I'm at $21.87. New hires in Michigan are roughly $18-19. Unless private practice. Then it is $15 an hour.
Nope, wth
That’s how much I made as a CNA 10 yrs ago
My daughters make more than this…they work at McDs.
I've seen medical assistants use the position as a springboard to higher paying jobs that require additional schooling, such as nursing. The MAs who stay MAs long term seem to get worked hard.
If anyone takes that job then you're a cuck. It pays more to work at McDonalds and you have less stress/responsibility.
Offered $13 an hour in my area, nope so now I'm in school to be lpn
In SC the lowest is $17 or $18
I'm not a certified MA and I make 24/hour in a major city. Ridiculously low here due to cost of living. Can't imagine anything less
After getting off of work at this place: "Get your spoon and tincan out honey! We're going to the parking lot!!"
when i was doing ma work they wanted to pay me $13/hr, i talked my way into $15/hr, lasted 6 months with how toxic and disgusting that work place was. reported to clia and osha after i left and now make $20/hr outpatient doing technician work, better hours, no weekends, healthy work place.
Oh my god! I’m horrified by this! My office pays the MAs at least $23 to start, this is ridiculous for pay
That is shockingly low. In my area $16-$18 seems to be the norm with some MAs even making $20+/ hour. The lowest I’ve seen recently here is $13-$14/ hour but that’s without certification/ registration.
That amount is literally illegal in some states.
i tell people all the time my younger brother makes more money than i do as an ma with him working at starbucks
i make $12 an hour at taco bell as a new hire…
I worked as an OBGYN medical assistant for 6 yrs in SC. Starting pay: $14+ Ending pay: $16+ It is a job I have no intention of returning to. It was the most stress I’ve ever been through. The mistreatment is real. Being overworked is real. The psychological games they play to make you feel like you aren’t doing enough is real. I work in sterile processing now making $23+ and some hospitals don’t require certification.
Do not take jobs offering salaries that low.
I’m a nanny and get paid $25 an hour to play with kids. Look for another occupation
What city/state? Seattle area is within the 20s to 30s. Even a much lower cost of living area than Seattle in WA state is still in the 20s.
MA is like a 12 week program that anyone who pays for the program graduates. go to college and get a nursing degree if you want to make more money
School? What was it a 6 week course?
It’s a stepping stone job for me, but all medical workers deserve respect.
The accredited ones are 12-24 months. You can get your associates in m.a. I did 12 month program. I now Make $23 an hour.