Onboarding plan
Medical Assistant Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)
A practical, printable plan to take a new medical assistant from first day to full productivity.
Medical Assistant onboarding at a glance
Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.
Before day one
- Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
- Verify required credentials: CMA (AAMA), RMA (AMT) (as applicable)
- Prepare equipment and access: EHR systems such as Epic, athenahealth or eClinicalWorks; sphygmomanometer and stethoscope; pulse oximeter and thermometers; 12-lead ECG machine
- Assign a buddy or preceptor
- Enroll the new hire in Medical Assistant training so foundations are covered before or during week one
Week one: orient and protect
- Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
- Follow standard precautions and perform hand hygiene before and after every patient contact
- Never recap needles: use safety devices and sharps containers at the point of use
- Follow OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and accept the hepatitis B vaccination your employer offers
- Verify patient identity and the provider’s order before every procedure or medication
- Shadow an experienced medical assistant through a full shift
- Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)
Days 1–30: learn
Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.
- Supervised practice: take a manual blood pressure reading
- Supervised practice: give an intramuscular injection
- Supervised practice: room a patient
- Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
- 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins
Days 31–60: contribute
Goal: handle a regular workload independently.
- Room patients, verify identity and record the chief complaint and medical history: independently
- Measure vital signs: blood pressure, pulse, respirations, temperature, height, weight and oxygen saturation: independently
- Prepare for and assist with exams, minor procedures and specimen collection: independently
- Administer injections and vaccines and run point-of-care tests where state law allows: independently
- Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
- Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
- 60-day check-in
Days 61–90: own
Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.
- Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
- Begin cross-training on a secondary task
- Agree on a credential goal (for example, CMA (AAMA))
- Discuss the career path: Medical Assistant → Lead or Specialty MA → Clinical Supervisor or Practice Manager
- 90-day review
Competency checklist
| Skill or task | Trained | Observed | Signed off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take a Manual Blood Pressure Reading | |||
| Give an Intramuscular Injection | |||
| Room a Patient | |||
| Vital signs measurement | |||
| Injections (intramuscular, subcutaneous, intradermal) | |||
| Phlebotomy and specimen handling | |||
| EHR documentation |
How to measure onboarding success
- Days until the new hire works without a preceptor
- Competency sign-offs completed on time
- Documentation or charting error rate
- 90-day retention
How Medical Assistant training maps to this plan
- Introduction to the Medical Assistant Role
- A Day on the Job
- Essential Medical Assistant Vocabulary
- Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Common Tasks, Step by Step
- Tools, Equipment and Technology
- Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
- Skills Employers Look For
- Launching Your Medical Assistant Career
- Final Knowledge Check