Registered MOA, salary?

[JohnDaleswife]

How much an hour can you make as a registered MOA? I have a sister- in- law that is finishing up her clinicals after a 4-5 month school program. She really seems to like it and it could be something that I might could look into some day. (Working as a GE appliance employee has taken a toll on this 40-year old body)

I doubt I could make the good money I have with GE, but there comes a point in life where those good GE wages take a back seat to life.

 

[havaneselover]

What is an MOA?
Never mind. I think you are asking about a medical office assistant. Pay looks low ($30k).

 

[Colleen27]

Not only is the pay not great, the job market can be really competitive. I have three friends who finished up MOA programs in the last year and all three have struggled to find full time work in the field because so many women are enrolling in those short-term programs thinking it is a quicker/cheaper "in" to a solid career than spending years pursuing a degree.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Not only is the pay not great, the job market can be really competitive. I have three friends who finished up MOA programs in the last year and all three have struggled to find full time work in the field because so many women are enrolling in those short-term programs thinking it is a quicker/cheaper "in" to a solid career than spending years pursuing a


degree.

Oh, that doesnt sound good. Bummer. May just have to know someone to get your foot in the door. Hopefully she will have good luck with it. But 30,000 is a real good starting pay. Not sure if that would apply in the south.

 

[tvguy]

It appears to be pretty close to a minimum wage job. Average is $12 an hour, which is minimum wage in some cities, and will be soon on others..

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Medical_Office_Assistant/Hourly_Rate

 

[Colleen27]

Oh, that doesnt sound good. Bummer. May just have to know someone to get your foot in the door. Hopefully she will have good luck with it. But 30,000 is a real good starting pay. Not sure if that would apply in the south.

I think it is just a matter of knowing your local market. It is probably a better option in some locations than others, and in mine the market is approaching over-saturation, at least for entry-level applicants without experience in the field.

If you're in a low cost of living area the pay will probably be on the lower side of median. Here in Michigan entry level MoA jobs pay $10-12/hour, so $30K is a bit more than a new hire could expect to make and honestly doesn't offer a very encouraging picture of the potential for raises/advancement. If the median is that close to the entry level wage, it suggests either high turnover (no one sticking around long enough to work up the pay scale) or stagnant pay (few raises even for the experienced) or both.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

$7.25 is our minimum wage. So I'm sure it will pay more than that. Heck, even Walmart will be paying $10 a hour here soon to all employees.

 

[supersnoop]

$7.25 is our minimum wage. So I'm sure it will pay more than that. Heck, even Walmart will be paying $10 a hour here soon to all employees.

I think that was the point. If Walmart pays $10, is it worth the extra time, training and expense to qualify for a job paying $12?

 

[tvguy]

I think that was the point. If Walmart pays $10, is it worth the extra time, training and expense to qualify for a job paying $12?

So many communities are moving to legislate a minimum wage of $12 an hour.....here they actually want a $15 an hour wage here, that spending money for training, even a few months, may be a waste of money.
Not sure where this will all end up, because there are some jobs that aren't worth the current $7.25 minimum federal wage.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Well, you have a point with the expense of training and such, and that would apply to me, but when your a single mom with no baby daddy around, well the goverment pays for almost everything. No cost for her. It would be for me. May not be worth looking into for myself.

 

[Colleen27]

$7.25 is our minimum wage. So I'm sure it will pay more than that. Heck, even Walmart will be paying $10 a hour here soon to all employees.

Ours is $8.15, IIRC, and $10-12 is still the starting pay for most of the MOA jobs I see advertised. And I suppose if you're making minimum, a 25-50% pay increase makes the training sound like a solid investment, but it would be wise to really look at the job market before jumping in. It is sad how many people I've seen leap into for-profit training programs for some "hot" career that doesn't pan out, either because those programs aren't sufficient preparation or because they're turning out more grads than there are jobs.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Ya, I do feel as there is probably a lot of competition out there.