Medical assistants are in high demand all over the country, including New Jersey. A quick online search shows thousands of jobs available for medical assistants in New Jersey, for many different types of clinics and offices.
Medical assistants work alongside physicians to care for patients, usually in a doctor's office or clinic. They can assist with bedside procedures, help with equipment, handle administrative tasks, and much more.
This guide goes over medical assistant programs in New Jersey, how to find jobs, certification and license requirements for MAs in NJ, salary, and everything else you need to know.
Medical Assistant Programs in New Jersey
There are many types of medical assistant training options in NJ to choose from. Some of the options include online learning, certificate programs at community colleges or technical schools, and degree programs through colleges and universities.
Important factors to consider include cost, time it takes to complete, accreditation, resulting certificate, and clinical or externship opportunities.
Here are a few great programs in New Jersey that can help you become a certified medical assistant:
Stepful’s Online Medical Assisting Program
Here at Stepful, we offer flexibility with our online medical assistant training program and we help you find an externship in a location that works well for you.
Our program can be completed in four months and is one of the least expensive options for medical assisting training.
Coursework includes classes in anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, infection control, phlebotomy, EKG, and patient care coordination.
- Location: Online with in-person externship
- Type of program: Certificate Program
- Time to complete: 16 weeks
- Cost: $1,999
- Resulting certificate: Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) – NHA
- Notes: Upon completion of our medical assisting program, we offer a 100% job-placement guarantee. We also provide externship opportunities for all of our students to help you gain clinical experience.
Berkeley College Medical Assistant Program
Berkeley College has three campuses around New Jersey, and gives several different options for medical assisting training.
Berkeley Colleges examination pass rate for medical assistants is over 80%, which is higher than the national average.
Their classes focus on clinical procedures such as electrocardiography (EKG), venipuncture, and specimen collection, medical office administration, medical terminology, and pharmacology and human diseases
- Location: Newark, Woodbridge, Woodland Park
- Type of program: Full-time and part-time certificate programs and an associate degree program.
- Time to complete: 35 to 45 weeks for the certificate programs, 2 years for the associate program
- Cost: $13,450 per semester.
- Resulting certificate options from certificate program: Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) – AAMA, Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – AMT, National Certified Medical Assistant (NCMA) – NCCT, Clinical Certified Medical Assistant (CCMA) – NHA, Clinical Medical Assistant Certification (CMAC) – AMCA
- Resulting certificate options from degree program: Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) – AAMA, Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – AMT, Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) – NHA, Certified Electrocardiography (CET) – NHA, Certified Phlebotomy (CPT) – NHA, Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) – AHA
- Notes: Both programs include 165 hours of in-person clinical hours.
American Institute Medical Assistant Program
American Institute also has several campuses around New Jersey. They are a certificate program that offers both full-time and part-time options.
Courses at the American Institute focus on first aid training, EKG and lab procedures, medical office procedures, and computer programs.
The American Institute program is a hybrid program with a combination of online and in person classroom options.
- Location: Cherry Hill, Clifton, Somerset, Toms River
- Type of program: Certificate
- Time to complete: 40 weeks full time or 64 weeks part time
- Cost: $18,000
- Resulting certificate options:: Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) – AAMA or Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – AMT
- Notes: This program includes 240 externship hours at an outside facility, where you can practice the skills you learn throughout the program.
Eastwick College Medical Assistant Program
Eastwick College offers a certificate or an associate degree program with campuses in Hackensack, Nutley, and Ramsey. Eastwick College prepares students for a career in both clinical and administrative medical assisting.
- Location: Hackensack, Nutley & Ramsey
- Type of program: Certificate or associate degree
- Time to complete: 9 months for full time certificate, 12 months for part time certificate, and 18 months for a degree.
- Cost: $24,791 per year
- Resulting certificate options: Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – AMT, Nationally Certified Insurance and Coding Specialist (NCICS) – NCCT, Certified Electrocardiography (CET) – NHA, Certified Phlebotomy (CPT) – NHA
- Notes: All certificate students have the option to continue 6 additional months of coursework to earn their associate degree.
Warren County Community College Medical Assisting Program
The medical assisting program at Warren County Community College is an in-person certificate program that covers anatomy, physiology, medical billing, ethics, and more.
Their program has an option to continue your education and earn an associate degree after completion of the certificate program.
- Location: Phillipsburg
- Type of program: Certificate Program
- Time to complete: 6 months
- Cost: $5,949
- Resulting certificate: Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) – AAMA
- Notes: Warren County Community College includes a 160 hour externship for you to practice your skills.
How to Find Medical Assistant Jobs in New Jersey
After you have completed your training and education, you can start your job search. Since medical assistants are in such high demand, there are hundreds of job opportunities all over the state.
The easiest way to start your search is by using a job search board online. You can also look on specific healthcare facility websites or apply in person. If you had a great externship experience somewhere, you might consider talking to that facility about transitioning from an externship into a job.
- Indeed. This is one of the most popular job boards and at the time of this writing has 2,569 medical assistant jobs available in New Jersey.
- Monster. Another popular job board, Monster.com has hundreds of job postings for medical assistants in New Jersey. At the time of this writing, there are about 35 new job postings each day for medical assistants in New Jersey.
- ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter had nearly 20,000 job listings for medical assistants in New Jersey in December 2022. Many of these jobs include sign on bonuses and other incentives.
- LinkedIn. LinkedIn is another great place to look for medical assisting jobs. A nice feature of LinkedIn is that once you build your profile and resume, you can apply for jobs with just a few clicks.
Medical Assistants in New Jersey Salary & Job Outlook
Medical assistants in New Jersey earn $39,600 per year, on average, or a little over $19 per hour. This is slightly higher than the national average of $37,190 per year.
The job outlook for medical assistants is fantastic. According to the BLS, the demand for medical assistants in the United States is expected to increase 16% through 2031.
Where Medical Assistants Work in NJ
Medical assistants in NJ can find work in a variety of different healthcare settings. Most commonly, medical assistants work in doctors offices. This might include primary care, pediatrics, cardiology, and OB-GYN offices.
Medical assistants can also work in long-term care centers, and many of these medical assistants choose to get a medication technician certification in addition to their CCMA, CMA, or RMA.
Medical assistants can also work in hospitals, outpatient surgical centers, cosmetic medical centers, and chiropractic offices.
How to Become a Medical Assistant in NJ
If you’re ready to start your path to becoming a medical assistant, there are a few steps you’ll have to follow. Luckily, there few medical assistant education requirements outside of having your high school diploma or GED.
- Obtain your high school diploma or GED. Before you can start a training program for medial assisting or apply for medical assisting jobs, you must earn either your high school diploma or GED.
- Choose a certification program. While medical assistant certification is not required, most employers prefer to hire medical assistants who have completed an accredited program and passed a certification exam. There are options for online programs, technical schools, and associate degree programs. You. can learn about medical assistant certification requirements here.
- Complete your education and training. Medical assisting programs can take anywhere from 4 months to 2 years to complete, depending on which program you choose. Most programs cover basic anatomy and physiology, infection control, and medical terminology.
- Search for jobs. Searching for jobs online through job boards or on healthcare facilities websites is the easiest way to get started.
- Start your career as a medical assistant. After you have completed the steps above, you are ready to start your rewarding career as a medical assistant.
Certification & License Requirements for Medical Assistants in New Jersey
In New Jersey, you can work as a medical assistant without earning your certification. Once you have graduated from high school or earned a GED, you can enter the workforce right away. However, medical assistants must be certified in order to give injections. There are no medical assistant license requirements in NJ.
While there are medical assistant jobs that offer on-the-job training, getting your medical assistant certification can help you get a job and make sure you are prepared for it. Most physicians prefer to work with a medical assistant who is certified, and certification will help you learn the skills needed to be successful.
What Medical Assistants Can & Can’t Do in New Jersey
The allowed scope of practice of medical assistant varies by state. For New Jersey, there are some specific rules about what medical assistants can and cannot do, specifically regarding injections and venipunctures.
New Jersey medical assistants must have at least 10 hours of training in giving injections, and be observed giving 10 subcutaneous, 10 intramuscular, and 10 intradermal injections before they will be allowed to perform the task independently.
Medical assistants in New Jersey must also complete 10 hours of training in venipuncture and perform 10 observed venipunctures before they will be allowed to complete the task independently.
Physicians are allowed to delegate other tasks to the medical assistant as long as they feel confident that the medical assistant is educated and can perform the task safely. Medical assistants cannot perform any task that requires advanced medical knowledge.
Medical assistants in NJ can:
- Draw blood (after being trained)
- Give injections (after being trained)
- Take vital signs
- Remove stitches
- Record health history reports
- Prepare supplies for procedures
Medical assistants in NJ can not:
- Give any controlled substance
- Perform invasive procedures
- Administer any medication through an IV
- Diagnose a patient
- Prescribe medications
