Career comparison
Medical assistant vs. Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) earn more: a median of $64,400, $18,710 (41%) above medical assistants at $45,690.
Medical assistants have the stronger outlook: +13% projected growth through 2035, vs. +3%.
Getting in is faster for medical assistants: about 10 months vs. 14 months for someone with a bachelor's in another field.
At a glance
| Medical assistant | Licensed practical nurse (LPN) | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $45,690 | $64,400 |
| Top 10% earn over | $59,310 | $83,440 |
| Growth to 2035 | +13% | +3% |
| Openings per year | 109,700 | 51,800 |
| Jobs today | 833,900 | 666,900 |
| Typical entry education | Postsecondary nondegree award | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Time to qualify* | 10 months | 14 months |
| Training cost* | $3K–$15K | $10K–$36K |
* Starting from a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.
Pay
Medical assistant
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
Switching from one to the other
Set your education and current pay. The calculator lays out the path, what it costs, and the year it starts paying off.
Medical assistantLicensed practical nurse (LPN)
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Getting in
Medical assistant
- Entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Required: CMA or RMA certification (optional, most employers prefer)
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
- Entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
Required: NCLEX-PN exam · State LPN/LVN license
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Medical assistant: 17% usually work over 40 hours a weekLicensed practical nurse (LPN): 15% usually work over 40 hours a week
Medical assistant: core tasks
- Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
- Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
- Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
- Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
- Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
Licensed practical nurse (LPN): core tasks
- Observe patients, charting and reporting changes in patients' conditions, such as adverse reactions to medication or treatment, and taking any necessary action.
- Measure and record patients' vital signs, such as height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration.
- Administer prescribed medications or start intravenous fluids, noting times and amounts on patients' charts.
- Provide basic patient care or treatments, such as taking temperatures or blood pressures, dressing wounds, treating bedsores, giving enemas or douches, rubbing with alcohol, massaging, or performing catheterizations.
- Answer patients' calls and determine how to assist them.
Skills: what carries over
Both rely on: Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Monitoring.
New for a medical assistant moving to licensed practical nurse (LPN): Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management.
New for a licensed practical nurse (LPN) moving to medical assistant: Writing, Active Learning.
Interests (Holland codes): Medical assistant: Conventional, Social, Realistic. Licensed practical nurse (LPN): Social, Realistic, Conventional.
Outlook to 2035, and AI
Medical assistant
+13%
faster than average · 109,700 openings a year
BLS lists no specific factors, including AI, changing demand for this job.
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
+3%
about as fast as average · 51,800 openings a year
BLS lists no specific factors, including AI, changing demand for this job.
Quoted notes: BLS Employment Projections, factors affecting occupational utilization (Table 1.12). Average growth across all jobs: +3.5%.
Questions people ask
Who makes more, a medical assistant or a licensed practical nurse (LPN)?
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) earn more: a median of $64,400, $18,710 (41%) above medical assistants at $45,690.
Which has the better job outlook?
Medical assistants have the stronger outlook: +13% projected growth through 2035, vs. +3%.
How long does it take to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN)?
For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 14 months, with tuition of roughly $10,400 to $36,000. Required: NCLEX-PN exam, State LPN/LVN license.
How long does it take to become a medical assistant?
For someone with a bachelor's degree in another field, about 10 months, with tuition of roughly $3,000 to $15,000. Required: CMA or RMA certification (optional, most employers prefer).