Medical Assistant Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Medical assistants keep San Francisco's clinics moving from Chinatown to the Mission, and bilingual MAs are in steady demand at Chinese Hospital, Kaiser Permanente and UCSF Health, with posted pay starting near $27 an hour. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get trained.
Current medical assistant Openings in San Francisco, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Medical Assistant Work in San Francisco
Most San Francisco MA jobs sit in outpatient clinics rather than hospital wards. Chinese Hospital staffs its clinics with medical assistants who speak Cantonese or Mandarin, Kaiser Permanente runs its medical offices along Geary Boulevard, and UCSF Health hires MAs for the ambulatory clinics at its Stanyan and Hyde hospitals, the former St. Mary's and Saint Francis. Community clinics fill the rest of the map, including Mission Neighborhood Health Center on Shotwell Street in the Mission and its Excelsior site.
Language is the local edge. Several San Francisco MA postings require or prefer Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish or Tagalog, because the patients in Chinatown, the Mission and the Excelsior expect it. Pay is higher than the state average too: California's SB 525 health care minimum wage sets a floor at most covered clinics and health systems, well above the city's general $19.61 minimum.
Top San Francisco Employers Hiring Medical Assistants
These employers have posted medical assistant roles in San Francisco on their own career sites:
- Chinese Hospital - the Chinatown hospital hires clinic medical assistants fluent in English and Cantonese or Mandarin, posting $26.80 to $40.17 an hour.
- UCSF Health - hires medical assistants for general medicine at its Stanyan and Hyde ambulatory clinics.
- Kaiser Permanente - hires medical assistants in San Francisco, including bilingual MAs for its seasonal vaccination clinic.
- Mission Neighborhood Health Center - the Shotwell Street community health center hires bilingual medical assistants.
Medical Assistant Salaries in San Francisco
- Entry level: about $25 to $29 an hour for new MAs in clinics and health systems.
- Experienced: roughly $29 to $35 an hour with certification, a second language and a few years of clinic work.
- Senior: about $35 to $40 an hour for lead MAs and the top of hospital clinic ranges.
These are estimates built from posted San Francisco ranges and the state's health care minimum wage tiers. Large health systems such as Kaiser fall under the $25 an hour SB 525 tier, while community clinics have a lower tier that rises over time. Certification, bilingual skills, phlebotomy training and specialty clinic experience all move pay up.
How to Become a Medical Assistant in San Francisco
California does not license medical assistants. Under Medical Board of California rules, MAs are unlicensed staff who work under a licensed physician or practitioner, but you must hold certification from a Board-approved organization to give injections, so most employers expect it. City College of San Francisco offers a CAAHEP-accredited Medical Assisting program, as an associate degree or certificate, at the John Adams Center on Hayes Street, and the city's free HealthCare Academy trains certified medical assistants with partner schools. Employers usually also ask for a current BLS card.
What the Job Involves
Medical assistants room patients, take vital signs, height and weight, record histories and medication lists in the electronic health record, and prepare patients for the provider. Depending on training they give injections and immunizations, draw blood, run point-of-care tests and perform EKGs. Between visits they clean and stock exam rooms, schedule follow-ups, handle referrals and answer patient calls.
Skills Employers Look For
- Completion of an MA program, with CCMA or CMA certification preferred
- Current AHA BLS certification
- Vital signs, injections and immunization schedules
- Epic or another electronic health record
- Phlebotomy certification, a plus at some clinics
- Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish or Tagalog
- Calm, friendly patient communication
Career Path and Advancement
San Francisco MAs often start in a community or hospital clinic, then move to specialty clinics, lead MA roles or care coordination. Many use the job as a step into nursing, through City College's LVN program at the John Adams Center or an RN program at City College, SF State or USF. Others move into clinic care coordinator or clinic supervisor roles.
Related Careers in San Francisco
If medical assisting interests you, these San Francisco roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do medical assistants need a license in California?
No. California has no state license for medical assistants. The Medical Board of California does require certification from an approved organization before an MA can give injections, so most San Francisco employers want you certified.
How much do medical assistants make in San Francisco?
Chinese Hospital posts $26.80 to $40.17 an hour for clinic MAs, and large health systems such as Kaiser must pay at least $25 an hour under SB 525. Most San Francisco MAs earn somewhere between about $25 and $40 an hour, depending on experience, certification and language skills.
Do I need to be bilingual to work as an MA in San Francisco?
Not always, but it opens many more doors. Chinese Hospital requires Cantonese or Mandarin for its clinic MAs, Kaiser lists Cantonese, Spanish or Tagalog for some San Francisco roles, and community clinics in the Mission hire bilingual MAs.
Where can I train to be a medical assistant in San Francisco?
City College of San Francisco runs an accredited Medical Assisting program at its John Adams Center. The city's free HealthCare Academy offers certified medical assistant training through partner schools.
What do San Francisco employers ask of a new MA?
Most want a completed medical assisting program and a current BLS card. Kaiser asks for six months of experience or its own externship, and UCSF Health's general medicine clinics ask for a year of MA experience, so a first job at a community clinic is a common start.
Ready to apply? Browse all Medical Assistant jobs in San Francisco, CA on LocalJobPage and apply today.