New Mexico has the highest concentration of medical assistants in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are close to 5,100 medical assistants working in this state, making up for 6.58 out of every 1,000 jobs in New Mexico. If you want a place that has a consistently high number of jobs available, New Mexico is where you want to be. All you have to do is find some medical assistant schools in New Mexico that can lead you in the right direction. Let’s look over some of those schools and the programs within them to see if this is what you want to do.
New Mexico Medical Assistant Schools at a Glance
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and the Accreditation Bureau of Health Education Schools are the two major accreditation boards that monitor medical assisting degree programs. If you find a medical assistant school in New Mexico that has been approved by one of them, you should be in good shape. No matter what though, you will most likely be working toward an associate’s degree when you get into school. That will take one to two years to complete.
If you want to be hired in a specialized hospital or doctor’s office, you will probably need to have a certification in medical assisting. You can obtain this by passing a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant exam from the National Healthcare Association or the American Association of Medical Assistants. Learn more about what this exam entails by contacting the AAMA in New Mexico or visiting their Facebook page.
Medical Assistant Jobs in New Mexico
The average hourly wage for medical assistants in New Mexico is $13.57. This comes out to about $28,000 a year for people working full time. The highest paying jobs in the state are going to be in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and other major. With that in mind, the demand for medical assistants is highest in the rural parts of the state. The BLS predicts a 31% increase in medical assistant jobs by 2020, which means there should be plenty of jobs out there for you no matter what. Start looking for medical assisting schools today, and you’ll set yourself up for a great future.
Top Medical Assistant Schools in New Mexico
Eastern New Mexico University
- Location: Roswell
- Programs: Certificate
- Tuition*: $16,301
- Accreditation: CAAHEP
- Location: Albuquerque
- Programs: Associate’s
- Tuition*: $35,316
- Accreditation: CAAHEP
- Location: Santa Fe
- Programs: Certificate
- Tuition: $39.50 per credit hour
- Accreditation: CAAHEP
- Location: Albuquerque
- Programs: Certificate
- Tuition*: $12,792
- Accreditation: ABHES
