Medical Assistants
Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.
BLS SOC 31-9092 · O*NET-SOC 31-9092.00 · BLS 2025–2035 · O*NET 31.0
Median annual wage, 2025
$45,690
Projected change, 2025–2035
12.9%
2025–2035 annual average openings
109,700
AI exposure
Moderate
Editorial analysis
The clipboard is disappearing faster than the patient-facing job
Medical assistants perform a mixture of administrative and hands-on work, and AI is likely to affect those two sides very differently. Scheduling, intake forms, routine messages, chart preparation, insurance information, and documentation are increasingly open to automation. Taking vital signs, preparing a patient, assisting with procedures, collecting specimens, and helping a nervous person through a visit are not.
A job with a changing center of gravity
If clinics automate more front-office work, medical assistants may spend a greater portion of the day supporting clinicians and patients directly. AI could prepare a visit summary before the patient enters the room or identify missing information that needs to be confirmed, leaving the assistant to focus on the parts that require physical presence and human interaction.
- Appointment reminders and routine communications can become highly automated.
- AI-assisted intake may organize patient information before a visit.
- Documentation support can reduce repetitive typing.
- Clinical procedures, observation, infection control, and reassuring patients still require trained people.
Medical assistants who become comfortable with digital health tools while strengthening clinical skills may be well positioned. The clerical portion of the occupation is likely to change faster than the care-support portion.
Labor-market picture
Two measures, different questions
These measures offer two different ways to understand the occupation: BLS projections show how national employment may change over time, while relative AI exposure highlights where tasks may intersect with AI-related capabilities. Read them with the work profile and your local context to decide what deserves closer investigation.
Employment
- Employment, 2025
- 833,900 jobs
- Projected employment, 2035
- 941,500 jobs
- Projected change, 2025–2035
- 107,600 jobs (12.9%)
Relative AI exposure
BLS category: Moderate. This is a relative task-exposure classification, not a forecast of employment change, automation, wages, or worker replacement.
Relative AI exposure · Moderate
Work profile
Representative tasks
These task statements come from O*NET 31.0. They are source facts, not labels assigned by the AI exposure measure.
- Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
- Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
- Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
- Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
- Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
- Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
Skills that matter
Skills in the source profile
Importance uses O*NET's 1–5 scale. Level uses its 0–7 scale. Select a skill to see its source definition and reported values.
Technology and tools
These technology records come from O*NET and show software or tools reported in the occupation profile. They describe work context, not a required checklist for every employer.
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Billing and invoicing software
- Accounting software
- Office suite software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Categorization or classification software
- Medical software
- Electronic mail software
Preparation
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
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Source provenance
Labor-market and exposure facts: bls-ep-2025-35. Work profile: onet-31.0. Verify release details on the Sources page.