Medical Assistant Jobs and Programs in New York – Schools, Salary, and License Info

How to Become a Medical Assistant in New York

New York is the dream city for many.

But some dreams are bigger than in the city.

It’s Medical Assisting.

To know more about this career choice in New York, follow this article guide.

It’s super informational!

First and foremost, let’s deal with proof that this profession is long-term in this state.

It’s necessary.

In 2013, a number of 23,170 medical assistants were in work relations in the state.

That’s what the U.S Department of Labor has stated.

From these statistics, 2.69 medical assisting jobs were found in every one thousand jobs across the state.

Soon enough, the average salary for medical assistants was $33,370.

This was the average annual salary.

An average higher than the entire national average in the field.

But this number was different in some areas.

For instance, in White Plains, medical assistants earned an average of $34,060 per year.

While in Nassau-Suffolk they earned $34,370.

With all these statistics noted in New York in medical assisting, there are surely other shortcomings as well.

But that is not a significant one.

For example, the state of New York does not license medical assistants.

For this reason, the State Board has regulated the issue of which duties are allowed to be performed and which are not.

According to it, they also need to work under the direct supervision of licensed healthcare practitioners.

To sum it up, you have to go into three steps, to become a highly qualified medical assistant in New York.

These steps are as follows:

• Complete a New York Medical Assistant Education Program
• Consider Taking a Certification Examination
• Maintain Your Medical Assistant Credential

Step 1. Complete a New York Medical Assistant Education Program

First and foremost, you need to study the field you want to graduate from.

Training and formal education are comparingly important to fit the employers’ requirements for medical assistants in New York.

There are many available medical assisting programs in New York, but the essence is to choose one that is accredited.

Usually, organizations that accredit these programs in the state are two.

One of them is the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

While the second is the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

Choosing an accredited program will also make things easier for national certification if one decides to pursue it as well.

CAAHEP-accredited programs in New York are found within these cities:

• New York
• Buffalo
• Binghamton
• Poughkeepsie
• Forest Hills
• Sanborn
• Levittown
• Rochester
• Williamsville
• Elmira
• Syracuse
• Rochester
• Buffalo
• Albany
• Brooklyn

ABHES-accredited programs in New York are found within these cities:

• New York
• Jamaica
• Rego Park
• Staten Island
• Brooklyn
• New Rochelle

Accredited medical assistant education programs in New York lead to the following outcomes:

• Associate of Occupational Science – Medical Assistant
• Associate of Applied Science – Medical Assisting
• Certificate – Medical Assistant
• Diploma-Medical Assistant

Medical assisting schools in New York work through a curriculum.

And some of them even require to attend a biology and mathematics coursework before attending the classes in them.

However, some of the courses in their curriculum are these:

• Medical Law and Ethics
• Medical Administrative Practice
• Medical Terminology
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Clinical Office Procedures
• Coding, Classification and Reimbursement Systems
• Pharmacology
• Microbiology
• Interpersonal Communication
• Electronic Medical Records
• Medical Documentation
• Professionalism in the Medical Office

Apart from the courses, the medical assistant will also be headed towards a practice, which will follow right after graduation.

The practice can be performed in a real-life medical setting wherein medical assistant duties are tested.

The length of the practice is 160 hours in total, while it is an unpaid experience.

Places, where one can finish the medical assisting practice in New York, are these:

• Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital – Binghamton
• St Francis Hospital – Merrick
• Long Island Plastic Surgical Group P.C. – New York
• NYU Langone Medical Center – New York
• Orthopedic Associates of Dutchess County P.C. – Poughkeepsie
• South Shore Neurologic Associates, P.C. – Southampton
• AdvantageCare Physicians – Valley Stream
• North Shore LIJ Health System – New Hyde Park
• Guthrie Healthcare System –Corning
• White Plains Hospital- White Plains

Step 2. Consider Taking a Certification Examination

In New York nor education nor national certification aren’t a requirement for medical assistants.

Anyway, some kind of certification is recommended for sure.

For instance, the CMA certification is recommended by the New York State Society of Medical Assistants.

This certification can be taken through the help of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

To be certified with this credential, passing the CMA Certification, the recertification exam is a must.

The exam contains questions related to the field, which include these areas:

• General medical knowledge, such as:
  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Terminology
  • Medical law and ethics
  • Behavioral science

• Clinical knowledge, such as:
  • Preparing and administering medications
  • Examination room techniques
  • Pharmacology
  • Laboratory Procedures

• Administrative knowledge, such as:
  • Collections
  • Medical records management
  • Insurance processing

The test is administered at Prometric test centers.

In New York, these are found in:

• Queens
• New York
• Brooklyn
• Westbury
• Purchase
• Melville
• Poughkeepsie

Step 3. Maintain Your Medical Assistant Credential

As a Certified Medical Assistant in New York, you will not be let in vain.

You will have to immediately jump to your duties.

Some of the duties that medical assistants in New York may perform include (but are not limited to):

• Assisting a licensed practitioner to carry out a task (such as positioning a patient for bandaging)
• Taking laboratory specimens such as blood work
• Performing ECGs
• Measuring vital signs
• Administrative work such as billing or medical records

Some duties medical assistants in New York may not perform include (but are not limited to):

• First assisting in surgical procedures
• Applying casts
• Taking x-rays
• Independently positioning patients for x-rays
• Placing or removing sutures
• Administering contrast dyes or injections
• Administering medications
• Triage

CMA credential is the most important one in the medical assisting field in New York, but it does not last forever.

It expires every 60 months.

As soon as the expiration date comes, the candidate can retake the certification by retaking the exam.

Or else, he or she needs to complete 60 other continuing education units.

For more information on this issue, the candidate may consult the AAMA organization in the state.

Professional Organizations for Medical Assistants in New York

There are many professional organizations that operate in New York as far as medical assisting is concerned.

However, the leading organization is the New York State Society of Medical Assistants.

It offers support to the medical assistants in the state.

This support comes in the form of observation.

They observe medical assistants whether they can prove they are capable of performing their profession in terms of knowledge, skills, and professionalism within the New York areas.

The organization also strives to protect medical assistants’ rights whenever they are censured.

As well as promotes their hiring process in the state.

The Best Medical Assisting Schools in New York

Check below 48 medical assisting schools in New York.

For diploma, certificate or associate degree, you don’t have to worry.

You will find all of these degrees there.

Medical Assisting Salaries in New York

For medical assisting salaries, check the last part of this article.

The salary shifts from a minimum to a maximum.

While an average is always constant.

Annual Salary Range:

Regional Salary in New York

Medical Assisting by State