Medical Assistant Jobs in Louisiana (Salary, Programs, and Certification)

Table of Contents

1 How to Become a Medical Assistant in Louisiana
2 Step 1. Pursue an Education in Medical Assisting
3 Step 2. Learn About Additional Medical Assistant Qualifications in Louisiana
- 3.1 Lab Assistant:
- 3.2 Phlebotomist – complete one of the following options:
4 Step 3. Consider Pursuing a National Professional Medical Assistant Certification
- 4.1 Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
- 4.2 Additional Medical Assistant Certifications
5 Step 4. Research the Medical Assistant Job Market in Louisiana
6 Step 5. Maintain and Upgrade Your Medical Assisting Credentials
7 The Best Medical Assisting Schools in Louisiana
8 Medical Assisting Salaries in Louisiana
- 8.1 Regional Salary in Louisiana

How to Become a Medical Assistant in Louisiana

Louisiana is home to many healthcare sectors.

And medical assisting is one of these sectors as well.

In the state, they are employed by the supervision of the physicians, as the head of the medical assisting personnel there.

In order to work in the field, however, a medical assistant does not need a license.

But to be able to do particular laboratory procedures, he or she needs to obtain an appropriate license with the State Board of Medical Examiners in Louisiana.

But that’s not all they can do.

Step 1. Pursue an Education in Medical Assisting

Educational options in Louisiana in Medical Assisting are many.

To begin with, as an aspiring student, one can opt for an associate’s degree or an academic certificate in medical assisting.

Both of these degrees are extremely important in career progress, promotion and professional certification.

But, in order to have any of them, one should primarily graduate from a medical assisting program.

And this condition is common to many certifications in the state.

However, medical assistant programs to graduate from are accredited through the following agencies:

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)

But whatever your program choice in Louisiana, they will all work through a certain curriculum.

This curriculum is made of course topics, such as:

Medical communication and terminology
Human body structure and function
Anatomy and physiology
Ethics and law for medical assistants
Medical assistant computer applications
Medical assistant clinical and administrative procedures
Medical transcription
Pharmacology for medical assistants
Medical insurance billing
Business English and mathematics
Medical assistant internship or practicum

Step 2. Learn About Additional Medical Assistant Qualifications in Louisiana

Louisiana medical assistant is not allowed to perform every medical duty such as work with blood inside the laboratory and similar unless they are licensed as a phlebotomist or lab assistant.

These licenses are normally given from the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners.

Through this license, the medical assistant’s resume will be enriched as well as additional skills in medical assisting will be developed.

But on the other hand, it is not one of the key requirements of medical assisting.

Basically, in order to become a licensed phlebotomist or lab assistant you will need to meet the following requirements:

Lab Assistant:

Complete a training program in basic laboratory science
Pass a test demonstrating you possess essential knowledge of laboratory science
Have at least a high school education

Phlebotomist – complete one of the following options:

Option 1:
- Complete a phlebotomist training program that includes at least 20 hours of classroom lecture or the necessary amount of clinical practice
- Pass a phlebotomist test following completion of the training program
Option 2:
- Earn a phlebotomist certification through a nationally recognized agency that includes passing an exam

As soon as you manage to possess one of these titles, the Clinical Lab Personnel Application Packet is necessary to be filled from you.

After filling it, you can send it to the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners in New Orleans.

This application is similar for both phlebotomists and lab assistants.

Step 3. Consider Pursuing a National Professional Medical Assistant Certification

After completing a medical assisting program in Louisiana, you can consider certification in the field from many national agencies that are available in the state.

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

The first certification is the Certified Medical Assistant certification or CMA.

This certification is made possible by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

To receive it, a medical assistant must meet a few requirements, which are as follows:

Graduate from a medical assistant training program approved by CAAHEP or ABHES
Pass the Certified Medical Assistant Exam

The CMA Exam contains 200 questions in total.

The questions are multiple-choice ones, which can be answered within 160 minutes of time.

The questions belong to three important areas of medical assisting:

General medical assistant subjects
Clinical medical assistant subjects
Administrative medical assistant subjects

Additional Medical Assistant Certifications

You can also choose from several other national medical assistant certification programs available to Louisiana residents.

Some of these include:

Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) – sponsored by American Medical Technologists (AMT)
Nationally Registered Certified Medical Assistant (NRCMA) – sponsored by the National Association of Health Professionals (NAHP)
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) – sponsored by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
Medical Assistant (NCMA) – sponsored by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT)

To earn the following certifications you will typically need to pass an exam.

The exam is usually sponsored by the accrediting agency and meet one of the following paths of eligibility:

Graduate from an accredited medical assistant education program
Complete a medical assistant training program as part of US Military service
Have several years of work experience as a medical assistant or medical assistant instructor
Have earned a similar credential from another national certification organization

Step 4. Research the Medical Assistant Job Market in Louisiana

In Louisiana, medical assistants have the chance to offer their medical skills in a virtual way whenever health and medical services are offered.

A number of medical professionals are concentrated in many metropolitan areas.

These areas are the following ones:

2,050 medical assistants in the New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner area
1,200 medical assistants in Baton Rouge
590 medical assistants in the Shreveport-Bossier City area
480 medical assistants in Lafayette
460 medical assistants in the New Iberia non-metro area
410 medical assistants in the Hammond non-metro area
340 medical assistants in Lake Charles
300 medical assistants in the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux area
180 medical assistants in the Natchitoches non-metro area
160 medical assistants in Alexandria
140 medical assistants in Monroe

Recently, there were some medical assisting job announcements in Louisiana.

The demand for them depends on the type of qualification.

Here are some qualifications for which jobs are more frequently offered in the state.

Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Baton Rouge was recently seeking a medical assistant who was either a graduate of an accredited medical assistant program or who had at least one year of medical assistant work experience.

West Jefferson Medical Center in Marrero recently posted a medical assistant job description that included the following minimum requirements:
- Medical assistant certification
- One year of directly related experience
- High school diploma

The North Oaks Health System in Hammond recently placed an ad for a medical assistant who had completed a clinical training program in one of the following:
- Medical assisting
- CNA
- Phlebotomy
- PCT
- ACT

Step 5. Maintain and Upgrade Your Medical Assisting Credentials

Earlier I mentioned the phlebotomist and lab assistant in Louisiana.

Well’ let’s talk about them a bit more.

The license in both professions is issued by the State Board of Medical Examiners in Louisiana.

To maintain the license, one needs to meet a few requirements in the first place.

These requirements are:

Complete a renewal application every year before your license expires – this can be done online and by mail
Pay a $40 renewal fee
Complete at least 12 hours of continuing education – this can be in the form of any of the following:
- Professional meetings
- Audio conferences and teleconferences
- Self-study courses
- Training programs
- Relevant college coursework

Professional certification, however, can be renewed.

To do so, a medical assistant must fulfill the requirements of the agency that has given the credential title.

These requirements consist of:

CMA – you will need to renew this every five years. To accomplish this you need to earn 60 re-certification points, including 30 points from AAMA-approved continuing education units, or you can retake the CMA Exam.
RMA – to renew this credential you will need to maintain a yearly membership with AMT and complete 30 Certification Continuing Program (CCP) points every three years.
NRCMA – to renew this you need to maintain a yearly membership with the NAHP and keep you a CPR card up-to-date. You also need to complete at least two A-class Continuing Education Units (CEUs) each year, except during your first renewal year.
CCMA – to renew this credential you need to complete 10 Continuing Education (CE) credits every two years.
NCMA – to renew this credential you will need to complete a series of annual Continuing Education (CE) that is approved by the NCCT.

Professional license and certification can be renewed through attending a college education.

This renewal can serve as a motivational scheme for making progress in medical assisting education.

Another option can be to get a bachelor’s degree in medical sciences.

This degree fits the renewal’s requirements as well as improves the medical assistant’s qualifications and other career opportunities in the field.

The Best Medical Assisting Schools in Louisiana

There are 34 Medical Schools available in Louisiana.

They offer many educational programs and degrees to aspiring students.

To see them, keep reading.

Their addresses are given for each.

You can visit them and ask for what they offer.

School Name	Address
Ayers Career College	Shreveport, LA
Blue Cliff College-Alexandria	Alexandria, LA
Blue Cliff College-Houma	Houma, LA
Blue Cliff College-Metairie	Metairie, LA
Blue Cliff College-Shreveport	Shreveport, LA
Bossier Parish Community College	Bossier City, LA
Camelot College	Baton Rouge, LA
Career Technical College-Monroe	Monroe, LA
Career Technical College-Shreveport	Shreveport, LA
Compass Career College	Hammond, LA
Delgado Community College	New Orleans, LA
Delta College Inc	Covington, LA
Delta College of Arts & Technology	Baton Rouge, LA
Delta College of Arts & Technology-Lafayette Campus	Lafayette, LA
Delta College-Slidell Campus	Slidell, LA
Eastern College of Health Vocations-New Orleans	New Orleans, LA
Fortis College-Baton Rouge	Baton Rouge, LA
Healthcare Training Institute	Kenner, LA
ITI Technical College	Baton Rouge, LA
Medical Training College	Baton Rouge, LA
Northshore Technical Community College	Bogalusa, LA
Northwest Louisiana Technical College	Minden, LA
Remington College-Baton Rouge Campus	Baton Rouge, LA
Remington College-Lafayette Campus	Lafayette, LA
Remington College-Shreveport Campus	Shreveport, LA
South Central Louisiana Technical College-Young Memorial Campus	Morgan City, LA
South Louisiana Community College	Lafayette, LA
Unitech Training Academy-Alexandria	Alexandria, LA
Unitech Training Academy-Houma	Houma, LA
Unitech Training Academy-Lafayette	Lafayette, LA
Unitech Training Academy-Lake Charles	Lake Charles, LA
Unitech Training Academy-West Monroe	West Monroe, LA
Virginia College-Baton Rouge	Baton Rouge, LA
Virginia College-Shreveport Bossier City	Bossier City, LA

Medical Assisting Salaries in Louisiana

Medical Assisting Salaries in Louisiana vary from many factors.

Initially, they vary from place, work experience, education, and skills.

Depending on these, the salary will grow or lessen.

So, your duty is to prepare and qualify yourself as much as you can.

The best will come to you for sure!

Annual Salary Range:

$31K

$34K

$36K

10%

50%

90%

Annual Salary by Location:

Location	Avg. Annual Salary
New Orleans	$35,470
Baton Rouge	$33,221
Shreveport	$32,849
Lafayette	$32,827
Lake Charles	$32,377
Kenner	$35,450
Bossier City	$32,849
Monroe	$32,678
Alexandria	$31,656
New Iberia	$32,636

Regional Salary in Louisiana

Region	Employed	Avg. Annual Salary	Avg. Hourly Pay	Top 10% Annual Salary	Bottom 10% Annual Salary
Alexandria, LA	450	$30,820	$14.82	$36,500	$22,280
Baton Rouge, LA	2,110	$35,140	$16.89	$44,740	$26,120
Hammond, LA	450	$34,900	$16.78	$41,390	$28,450
Houma-Thibodaux, LA	460	$33,300	$16.01	$41,600	$25,490
Lafayette, LA	1,210	$31,460	$15.13	$42,200	$23,740
Lake Charles, LA	720	$33,380	$16.05	$37,900	$27,230
Monroe, LA	500	$30,490	$14.66	$35,900	$22,080
New Orleans-Metairie, LA	2,760	$35,670	$17.15	$42,610	$28,920
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	1,070	$33,190	$15.96	$40,690	$26,730

* Salary information based on the May 2023 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey for Medical Assistants, OCC Code 31-9092, BLS.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.

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