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If you want to build a rewarding healthcare career with relatively minimal education requirements, then the path of a medical assistant in New Jersey may be the right fit for you. With an increased demand for these versatile professionals and multiple avenues for employment, becoming a medical assistant can be a fulfilling career choice that merges passion for healthcare with a diverse array of responsibilities.
“[Medical assistants] play an important part of the team in the landscape of the health delivery system,” said Rosemarie Rocchio, the Director of Health Care Certificate Programs at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey.
The laws governing medical assistants can vary from state to state, however. It’s important to understand New Jersey’s laws pertaining to the medical assisting profession before embarking on your career.
The role of a medical assistant in New Jersey
Medical assistants are essential team members of any healthcare facility, ensuring the efficient operation of numerous clinical and administrative tasks. Their role encompasses a wide spectrum of duties, including but not limited to:
Some medical assistant positions may be more focused on either the clinical or administrative side of their job scope.
Administrative tasks
Apart from patient care, a medical assistant also takes on administrative roles such as managing patient records, scheduling appointments and processing medical billing and coding. These administrative tasks add another layer of versatility to the role.
Serving as the initial point of contact in many healthcare settings, including outpatient clinics and other healthcare facilities, they play a key role in maintaining an organized and well-managed medical office.
Clinical duties
Medical assistants are on the front lines of patient care. They’re taking vital signs, collecting blood samples and assisting with examinations—these are just a few of the clinical duties that a medical assistant may perform. This hands-on aspect of the role not only requires a strong understanding of clinical procedures but also calls for compassion and empathy since you are working daily with patients. This can make medical assisting a fulfilling profession for those who have a penchant for patient care.
Education requirements for NJ medical assistants
Simply put, there are no definitive education requirements to work as a medical assistant in New Jersey besides having a high school diploma or GED. Some people may be able to break into the profession with on-the-job training alone. That said, healthcare clinics, hospitals and other employers of medical assistants usually require that they have a medical assisting education and/or certification.
A quality education through a certificate or associate degree program is the bedrock of a prosperous career as a medical assistant. These programs can provide a crucial foundation in healthcare principles and relevant skills needed to perform the duties of a medical assistant. Although some certifications do not require it, graduating from a medical assisting program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) can make it a bit easier to qualify for medical assisting certifications down the line.
A quality education through a certificate or associate degree program is the bedrock of a prosperous career as a medical assistant.
“Our program is a certificate program, but all the credits in my certificate program align with our health science degree here… They take a few more courses and then they end up with an associate in health science degree,” Rocchio said. “If I’m the local health system here, and I get a resume from this person without the degree and this person who has a degree and they’re otherwise equal, it may push you over the edge.”
Attending a medical assisting certificate or associate degree program can also be a great way for someone to dip their toes in the field of healthcare and find out whether it’s really the right for them.
“I say to students, especially students who are unsure about whether they really want to be in healthcare, that this is a great first experience,” Rocchio said. “And then it’s a springboard—they come back and they want to go to our surgical tech program, or they come back and go into nursing. Then they’re on this road, this journey of being a professional.”
Certification process
There are several organizations that offer medical assistant certifications. Although it’s not required by the state to work as a medical assistant, it’s becoming a more common requirement from employers. Rocchio said that’s especially true if you want to work for a large health system.
“You can get a job without going to a program, without experience. You can get a job with the education and no certification, but more and more are looking for the medical assistant who’s certified.”
One of the local health systems that Rocchio contracts with even offers to prep medical assistants for the certification exam and pay for it. “That’s how dedicated they are to the fact that they want their medical assistants certified.”
One of the most common and prestigious certifications is the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA). The path to becoming a CMA involves several steps, including:
- Completing a medical assistant education program (such as a certificate or associate degree)
- Gaining hands-on clinical experience (if the program is not accredited by the CAAHEP or ABHES)
- Passing the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) exam
Becoming a CMA not only validates your skills and knowledge but can also enhance your employability, and may give you a competitive edge in the job market.
Although other organizations have their own eligibility requirements for their certifications, they also typically consist of graduating from a medical assisting program and passing an exam. It’s possible, therefore, that if you qualify for one certification, you may also qualify for others.
Continuing education and recertification
Given the constant changes in the healthcare landscape, staying updated on these advancements is a vital necessity. This is where continuing education and recertification come into play.
Many healthcare professionals are required to complete continuing education as a condition of employment. This may be true for medical assistants as well, but this depends on your employer. In addition, you have to complete continuing education in order to maintain your professional credentials. CMAs, for example, must either retake the CMA exam or complete 60 continuing education units (CEUs) every five years to keep their certification active.
Joining a local professional organization for medical assistants, such as the New Jersey Society of Medical Assistants, is also a great way to find relevant continuing education opportunities in your area.
Job market and salary expectations for NJ medical assistants
With a promising job outlook, working in the medical assisting profession could be a stable healthcare career to last a lifetime. In fact, the BLS estimates that the employment of medical assistants nationwide will grow 13.9% through 2032, which is much faster than the 3% average across all occupations. As the healthcare industry expands and the baby boomer population continues to age, the demand for medical assistants to perform routine clinical duties is expected to grow, too.
Rocchio said that practically all of her medical assistant graduates are getting jobs shortly after they finish the program. “The job market is very favorable, and it’s going to continue to be that way.”
Earning potential and benefits
According to the 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics from the BLS, the median annual salary for medical assistants in New Jersey is $45,340. Individual salaries can vary a lot, however, and you can estimate what your median salary might be in New Jersey and different cities within the state here:
Medical Assistants
10%$36,510
25%$38,710
50%$45,340Median
75%$48,000
90%$54,960
Median Hourly Wage$22
Job growth13.9%
Total Employment19,880
| Metro area | Median Salary | Bottom 10% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton, NJ | $45,750 | $36,070 | $56,030 |
| Ocean City, NJ | $45,260 | $35,240 | $53,720 |
| Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ | $44,400 | $33,120 | $50,410 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $42,080 | $37,330 | $48,390 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2023 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries may vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.
As part of their compensation, medical assistants typically receive comprehensive benefits packages that include medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off and 401(k) contributions. The benefits that you may be entitled to depend on your individual employer, however.
Factors affecting salary
Your individual earning potential depends on numerous factors including location, education level, experience and employer.
Whether or not you hold a recognized medical assisting certification may also impact your earning potential. In their 2023 Compensation and Benefits Report, the AAMA reported that of the full-time medical assistants they surveyed, those that held a current CMA certification earned an average of $40,658.22 per year while non-CMA medical assistants earned an average of $39,053.95 per year. Keeping in mind that these averages were from a national survey, the data is clear—having a medical assisting certification could lead to an increase in your wages. Within that same report, the AAMA’s data also indicated that more years of experience generally leads to an increase in pay.
Rocchio also said that who you work for can make a significant difference in your earning potential.
“If you want to make more money, the thing is to change who you work for. If you’re working for that independently owned doctor’s office and then you go work for a health system that employs medical assistants, they will probably pay you more and you’ll maybe have better benefits. And certainly in that environment they would pay for tuition reimbursement. If you’re an MA and you decide you want to be a nurse, they would probably give you tuition reimbursement because they’re going to benefit from your further education.”
Employment opportunities in New Jersey
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of medical assistants in New Jersey are concentrated in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area. That said, there are also many medical assistants working in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area as well as Trenton and Atlantic City.
The BLS reports that the majority of medical assistants nationwide work at physicians’ offices, followed by hospitals and outpatient care centers. No matter what setting you work in, medical assistants may be able to find employment with Hackensack Meridian Health or RWJBarnabas Health, two of the largest integrated health systems in New Jersey.
In fact, Rocchio pointed out that local health systems have been rapidly expanding.
“Health systems now are purchasing medical offices. That’s only a recent phenomenon. It used to be that every medical office was independently run by a physician or a group of physicians, and now the health systems are buying out these practices and now these providers are actually becoming employees of the health system.”
For new and future medical assistants, most jobs may be found within these expansive health systems in the years to come.
Moving up the career ladder
It’s always important to keep advancing as a professional, but this can be a bit difficult for medical assistants beyond getting certified.
“The medical assistant role in and of itself is limited. Maybe if you work as a medical assistant in an office, maybe one day you can run the office and become the office manager,” Rocchio said. “For the medical assistant who their goal is to run an office, definitely take some courses in management, in leadership or in budgeting, things like that. They give you a little bit more knowledge to help you with those responsibilities of that role.”
Although some people choose to remain medical assistants through the entirety of their career, others may want to move into different healthcare roles to have more responsibilities and increase their pay. Starting off as a medical assistant is an excellent wait to gain exposure to an array of healthcare careers, since you get a taste of both administrative and clinical roles and get to work alongside numerous other health care professionals.
With a medical assisting background, you could eventually transition into other jobs such as:
Keep in mind of course that some of these roles require additional education and licensure. If you do have to go back to school for any of these jobs, having a medical assisting education under your belt might allow you to get your education in less time. That’s because some of the classes you take as a medical assisting student may be able to transfer towards another healthcare degree program.
Legal and ethical considerations for NJ medical assistants
In the healthcare field, legal and ethical considerations are of utmost importance. Medical assistants, like all healthcare professionals, are expected to adhere to a certain standard of care and ethical guidelines. This includes maintaining patient confidentiality, obtaining informed consent before performing procedures and practicing within the scope of their training and certification.
Legal considerations for medical assistants often involve understanding and adhering to healthcare laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA protects patient privacy and sets guidelines for the secure handling of patient health information. Medical assistants must ensure that they handle patient records appropriately and maintain confidentiality at all times.
For more information about the scope of practice for medical assistants in New Jersey, refer to the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners. The AAMA also has resources on state practice laws for further reading.
Resources and professional development
As you begin your career as a medical assistant in New Jersey, it’s important to take advantage of the resources and opportunities for professional development that come your way. From networking and professional organizations to workshops and seminars, these resources are all a part of your toolkit to help you build a successful career.
A division of the AAMA, the New Jersey Society of Medical Assistants (NJSMA) is the leading medical assisting association within the state. Members that join their organization get access to several exclusive benefits, including free continuing education events like their annual convention, which is typically held every April.
American Medical Technologists (AMT) is another not-for-profit professional organization that offers certifications for numerous different allied health careers, including medical assistants. It’s also a membership organization with local chapters in nearly every state and helps members maintain skills and competencies.
Wrapping it up
Becoming a medical assistant in New Jersey is not just a career choice—it’s a decision to embark on a fulfilling journey in the field of healthcare.
Medical assistants in New Jersey simply need a high school diploma or GED to get started since they do not need to be licensed or certified. Getting an education in medical assisting through a certificate or associate degree program is an ideal starting point, however, since many employers today require this. From there, medical assistants in New Jersey should consider getting certified through a professional organization such as the AAMA. By getting a proper education and credentials, medical assistants in New Jersey can set themselves up for more job opportunities and career advancement.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How do I become a medical assistant in New Jersey?
To become a medical assistant in NJ, you must obtain your high school diploma or GED. Many employers also require that medical assistants have graduated from a medical assistant education program and/or have a recognized medical assisting certification, but these are not required by the state.
What is the highest paying state for medical assistants?
Washington is the highest paying state for medical assistants with a median annual wage of $48,810 according to data from the BLS.
Can medical assistants give injections in New Jersey?
According to the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), a medical assistant must be a “certified medical assistant” in order to give injections. A certified medical assistant, in the eyes of New Jersey law, is a medical assistant that has graduated from a medical assisting program and has a current medical assisting certification.
The same goes for administering medication. “In the state of New Jersey, unless you are certified you are not allowed to administer medication,” Rocchio said.
Learn how to become a medical assistant in different states: Alabama | California | Florida | Georgia | New Jersey | New York | Ohio | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Texas
Published: December 28, 2023
Written and reported by:
All Allied Health Schools Staff
With professional insight from:
Rosemarie Rocchio, BSN, MS, RNC-NIC, CCMA
Passaic County Community College, Director of Health Care Certificate Programs