2020 Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services Degree Guide

Doctors have many patients and work to provide medical services to people whenever necessary. With a degree in Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, you will be able to aid doctors to ensure all patients receive proper and timely treatment.

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services professionals help doctors by aiding with administrational and clinical tasks. They perform exams, give injections, and schedule appointments. In order to gain the skills to properly aid medical professionals, students take classes in medical software, terminology, procedures, office administration, and pharmacology.

There are many types of medical professions that require an assistant. Some of the areas of specialization available to students include Clinical Assistant, Medical Laboratory Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Physical Therapy Assistant, Veterinary Technology, Anesthesiologist Assistant, Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance), Pathology Assistant, Respiratory Therapy Technician, and Radiologist Assistant among others.

Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services Degrees Popular in the U.S.

In 2017-2018, allied health and medical assisting services was the 7th most popular major nationwide with 104,465 degrees awarded. This 6,052 less than the prior year, a decrease of 5.8%.

There are 343 schools offering degrees in allied health and medical assisting services in the United States. Explore this or one of our many other custom medical assisting rankings further below.

What Are The Requirements For a Degree in Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services

Medical assistants not only work with doctors, but closely with patients, as well. This means students should have strong communication and interpersonal skills to make patients feel comfortable and relay important information to physicians. Analytical skills and close attention to detail help professionals read medical charts and make diagnoses based on symptoms and tests.

A degree in Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services leads to a full time job at a variety of medical centers. Assistants may work in offices or clinics that are open during normal business hours, while others assist doctors at 24/7 facilities, such as hospitals.

While no formal education is required to become an Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services professional, some students decide to pursue a degree from a community college or vocational school. Others learn skills from on the job training.

Medical Assisting Degree Program Entry Requirements

New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. In addition to these basic allied health and medical assisting services program qualifications, to serve in some medical assisting careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.

Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services Degree Types

There are various different levels of medical assisting degrees. Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services programs offered by schools range from a first year certificate to a professional practice doctorate, which is the highest medical assisting degree you can get. Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services programs can take anywhere between one to four or more years for a full-time student to complete.

Degree	Credit Requirements	Typical Program Length
Associate Degree	60-70 credits	2 years
Bachelor’s Degree	120 credits	4 years
Master’s Degree	50-70 credits	1-3 years
Doctorate	Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation	At least 4 years

An associate's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to medical assisting, with approximately 37.3% of workers getting one. People currently working in careers related to medical assisting tend obtained the following education levels.

Level of Education	Percentage of Workers
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	41.8%
Post-Secondary Certificate	15.5%
High School Diploma	14.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	10.3%
Master’s Degree	6.8%

Most workers in medical assisting have at least a associate's degree. See the chart below for the most common degree level workers in allied health and medical assisting services have received.

The education level required is different depending on the medical assisting career you are seeking.

Medical Assisting Careers

Since there are so many medical professions, Allied health and Medical Assisting Services graduates work in a variety of locations. Some locations are specialized doctors' offices, health clinics, and hospitals. It is predicted that the need for medical assistants will continue to grow, allowing doctors to care for more patients during the day.

High Growth Projected for Medical Assisting Careers

Want a job when you graduate with your medical assisting degree? Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services careers are expected to grow 21.6% between 2016 and 2026.

The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to allied health and medical assisting services.

Occupation Name	Projected Jobs	Expected Growth
Medical Assistants	818,400	29.0%
Pharmacy Technicians	450,100	11.8%
Health Specialties Professors	294,000	25.9%
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	187,200	14.0%
Health Technologists and Technicians	152,900	19.6%

How Much Money Do People With a Medical Assisting Degree Make?

Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services graduates between 2015-2017 reported earning an average of $26,179 in the 2017-2018 timeframe. Earnings can range from as low as $5,500 to as high as $160,700. As you might expect, salaries for medical assisting graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

High Paying Careers for Medical Assisting Majors

Salaries for allied health and medical assisting services graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top 5 highest paying careers medical assisting grads often go into.

Occupation Name	Median Average Salary
Health Specialties Professors	$122,320
Physician Assistants	$108,430
Occupational Therapy Assistants	$60,410
Physical Therapist Assistants	$57,750
Respiratory Therapy Technicians	$51,380

Getting Your Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services Degree

With over 4,075 different medical assisting degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased medical assisting school rankings to help you with this.

Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services Related Majors

Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Medical Assisting

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Nursing	293,633
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants	90,916
Health & Medical Administrative Services	87,058
Allied Health Professions	86,125
Public Health	34,089

View All Medical Assisting Related Majors >

References

• National Center for Education Statistics

• O*NET Online

• Image Credit: By Ryan Conroy under License