How To Write a Medical Assistant Resume
As a medical assistant, you play a vital role in the delivery of quality care to patients. To generate opportunities on the open market, you want to showcase achievements demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively with physicians, nurses, and patients in fast-paced healthcare environments. The key to differentiating yourself from the competition is to build a compelling, accomplishment-driven resume that highlights your strongest qualifications.
Throughout our medical assistant resume guide, we’ll provide expert tips to help you translate your work experience into an effective marketing document.
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your medical assistant qualifications
Your profile is often the first thing the hiring manager sees when reviewing your resume, so it’s important to grab the reader’s attention as quickly as possible. Your opening sentence should contain your title, years of experience, and three to four specializations that match the job posting. This will send a clear message to hiring managers that you have the ideal qualifications for the position you’re applying for, which will increase your odds of landing the interview.
Example 1 - Senior-Level
Profile
A Certified Medical Assistant with 10+ years of clinical and administrative experience. A proven track record of supporting nursing teams and physicians in delivering patient-centered care in high-volume hospital environments. Adept at communicating with patients, maintaining medical records, and utilizing EHR software.
Example 2 - Entry-Level
Profile
A Certified Medical Assistant with two years of experience delivering exceptional patient care in acute care environments. Adept at collaborating with registered nurses, physicians, and administrative teams to improve clinical operations and efficiency.
2. Add a compelling section featuring your medical assistant experience
To create a strong accomplishment-driven resume, you must translate your healthcare experience into compelling bullet points. Hiring managers want to gain a better understanding of your unique background as a medical assistant. As you build out your professional experience section, you should also quantify your achievements using quality metrics such as patient satisfaction scores. This will show prospective employers that you have a proven track record of positively impacting internal teams and patients in fast-paced clinical settings.
Example 1 - Senior-Level
Professional Experience
Certified Medical Assistant, St. Anthony’s Hospital, New York, NY
May 2013 – November 2015
- Supported registered nurses in performing examinations, delivering treatment, and providing high-quality care to patients in a hospital with 300+ beds
- Coordinated with nurses to perform non-invasive procedures, interfaced with patients, family members, and medical teams, and ensured compliance with patient-centered care standards, which contributed to a 5% increase in patient satisfaction in 2014
Example 2 - Entry-Level
Professional Experience
Medical Assistant, West Chester Pediatrics, West Chester, PA
October 2022 – Present
- Schedule all patient appointments for a high-volume pediatrics office with six full-time physicians and two nurse practitioners, amounting to up to 40 appointments per day
- Interface effectively with diverse patient populations, communicate with empathy and understanding, and contribute to a 95% patient satisfaction rating for the practice
- Obtain patient vitals, including blood pressure, temperature, and diagnostic information, and maintain medical records using EHR software
3. Include education and certifications relevant to medical assistants
Obtaining your Medical Assistant Certification (CMA) from an accredited program is a prerequisite for employment in over 26 states. You can also consider pursuing a specialization (SCMA) if you plan on working in a specific healthcare unit, such as cardiology or pediatrics. Another way to increase the strength of your application is to acquire certifications in phlebotomy or medical billing and coding, as these are valuable in both the clinical and administrative aspects of the role.
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example
- Certified Medical Assistant, AAMA, 2019
- Registered Phlebotomy Tech (RPT), 2018
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] [Dates Enrolled]
Example
- Associate of Applied Science (A.S.S.) Medical Assistance
- University of San Francisco, San Francisco, Ca September 2020 – May 2022
4. List medical assistant-related skills and proficiencies
Many healthcare organizations utilize automated tracking systems (ATS) to help narrow down their candidate pool. To separate yourself from the crowded field of applicants, you’ll want to incorporate various skills that showcase your expertise in both the clinical and administrative areas of healthcare delivery. Below, you’ll find a list of skills and keywords you may encounter during the job search:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Acute Care | Calendar Management |
| Clinical Operations | Communication |
| Customer Service | Electronic Healthcare Records (EHR) |
| HIPAA Compliance | Medical Billing and Coding |
| Medical Support | Office Administration |
| Patient-centered Care | Patient Education |
| Patient Management | Patient Relations |
| Pediatric Care | Phlebotomy |
| Process Improvement | Vital Sign Monitoring |
How to Pick the Best Medical Assistant Resume Template
Choosing the right resume template can be overwhelming for many job seekers due to the many options available. In most instances, selecting a straightforward template that avoids flashy graphics and colors is best. It’s important to understand that hiring managers will interview candidates based on their experience and qualifications, so you want to prioritize readability and organization over presentation.
Medical Assistant Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
Cameron Malfara
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
LinkedIn | Portfolio
123 Pine Brook Dr, Miami, FL 12345
Profile
A Certified Medical Assistant with over eight years of experience as a clinician and administrative support staff member. Adept at collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality care to diverse patient populations, including both geriatric and pediatric patients. Extensive knowledge of EHR and scheduling software.
Professional Experience
Medical Assistant, St. Mark’s Medical Center, Miami, FL
July 2017 – Present
- Deliver clinical and administrative support to registered nurses and physicians, obtain patient medical history and documentation, and communicate with empathy and compassion, contributing to a 95% patient satisfaction rating
- Maintained exam rooms in accordance with OSHA standards for health and safety, sanitized exam instruments, and ensured compliance with Covid-19 safety protocols
- Collected lab samples of blood and urine and submitted labeled samples for testing
Medical Assistant, West Bay Medical Group, Miami, FL
May 2015 – July 2017
- Scheduled 50+ patient appointments per day, managed cancellations, performed data entry, and oversaw calendars for a busy medical office with 20 nurses and ten physicians
- Managed patient appointments and scheduling for a physician’s office with over 5K active patients, which included maintaining electronic medical records
- Oversaw basic billing and coding tasks for standard office procedures, streamlined billing processes, and reduced turnaround on payments by an average of six days
Certifications
- Certified Medical Assistant, American Association of Medical Assistants, 2015
- Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT), NPA, 2015
Key Skills
- Patient Management
- Office Administration
- Process Improvement
- Medical Support
- Phlebotomy
Education
Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Medical Assistance
Miami Dade College, Miami, FL September 2013 – May 2015
Frequently Asked Questions: Medical Assistant Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for medical assistant resumes?-
We know it’s easy to get stuck when writing the professional experience section of a resume. You might find that you start to run out of action verbs to accurately convey your job responsibilities and healthcare achievements accurately. That being said, it’s best to try and differentiate your usage of action verbs to avoid redundancy, as this can negatively impact the reading experience. Below, you’ll find a list of verbs you can use to build out your professional experience section:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Administered | Analyzed |
| Communicated | Conducted |
| Coordinated | Collaborated |
| Delivered | Evaluated |
| Identified | Interfaced |
| Implemented | Improved |
| Led | Managed |
| Oversaw | Performed |
| Provided | Resolved |
| Supported | |
How do you align your resume with a job description?-
The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing verticals in the job market. The demand for medical assistants is expected to grow by 16% by 2031, adding 123,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the positive outlook, you’ll still need to align your resume with the job description to differentiate yourself from the competition.
As you begin applying for open positions, you should carefully review the job description and incorporate key terms that match the needs of the organization. It’s also important to provide tangible examples of utilizing these skill sets throughout your career to make a positive impression on the hiring manager.
What is the best medical assistant resume format?-
For most job applications, use a reverse chronological format to ensure that your most recent experience is featured towards the top of your document. Conversely, a functional resume approach prioritizes skills and avoids detailed bullet points. This is generally not recommended because the lack of professional achievements won’t help you differentiate yourself from the competition.
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Not every organization will ask for a cover letter. It’s good to have one on hand for the applications that require it. In addition to reinforcing accomplishments from your healthcare experience, you should also mention something about the organization’s reputation or work culture. For instance, if a hospital is known for its commitment to patient-centered care, you may want to explain that this is one of the reasons you’re applying for the job. This will show hiring managers that you’ve done your research beforehand, which will increase your chances of landing an interview. For more insights, see our medical assistant cover letter guide.
