How to Write a Medical Assistant Cover Letter

If you’re looking to start your career as a medical assistant, then you need to know how to write a great cover letter.

This is a unique document that will accompany your CV or resume when you apply for jobs.

Your medical assistant cover letter will be your first introduction to the recruiter. It’s your opportunity to sell yourself and help them understand why they should review your resume in more depth. It’s your chance to show who you are as a person, highlight any key skills or experience, and demonstrate your passion for the job.

What Should a Great Medical Assistant Cover Letter Include?

Before you dive straight into the writing process, you must be aware of what you should include within your medical assistant cover letter.

Depending on the seniority of the job role, you may need to include different aspects.

For example, those working in managerial medical assistant roles should showcase what skills they've picked up and explain how they plan to use these skills in their future role.

You can refer to any previous experience and highlight proficiencies in specific software which you know are extensively used within medical settings.

You should also provide quantifiable evidence of any achievements to showcase your value.

• Have you worked with 50+ patients a day for a period of time? If so, say so.
• Have you been able to reduce financial investment in pharmaceuticals through liaison with key suppliers? Then make clear how you’ve developed relationships with sales reps and share how you plan to use these relationships moving forward.

Great medical assistant cover letters sell a story. They explain who you are as a person, they look back at your key achievements and they also look into the future and explain how you plan to expand on these achievements in the new role.

How Do I Write a Cover Letter for a Medical Assistant Job With No Experience?

Of course, not everyone has the experience to look back on. Many medical assistants start their careers in entry-level jobs with little to no prior experience.

This is because it is a job role where you carry out non-medical duties for a doctor or physician, allowing them to spend more time working directly with patients.

If you are worried about your lack of experience, or you are applying for an entry-level medical assistant job role, then use your medical assistant cover letter to write about who you are as a person.

Try to show what attracts you to working within a healthcare role and explain any examples of times where you’ve provided support to someone in need. Perhaps you have the relevant voluntary experience, or maybe you are drawn to the healthcare sector for personal reasons.

Ultimately, you’re trying to show to the recruiter what drives and motivates you and explain why you want to work for this particular company.

Recruiters will be more willing to hire someone inexperienced but with a passion to learn and thrive than a highly experienced candidate who shows a lack of commitment.

If you are trying to write an entry-level medical assistant cover letter, then the recruiter will be aware of your lack of experience. They will be focusing more on your transferrable skills and how these relate to the job role.

What Skills Should a Medical Assistant Have?

Medical assistants need to have a variety of skills. Luckily, most of these are skills which you will have likely picked up elsewhere – perhaps through college or previous employment.

Here are a few key skills that you should try to reference within your medical assistant cover letter:

• Organizational skills. Employers will be looking to see what your organizational skills are like. Can you prioritize tasks? Do you have attention to detail? Can you multi-task effectively?
• People skills. They’ll also want to see reference to interpersonal skills. You’ll be working closely with people, so you’ll need to be caring and empathetic. You’ll need to have a warm manner and remain calm and professional during stressful situations.
• Administrative experience. Have you any experience in administrative tasks? How good are you when using a computer? Can you manage the inventory of medical supplies? Can you problem-solve?

What Do You Write in a Cover Letter for a Medical Assistant?

To help you make the most of your medical assistant cover letter, here is a step-by-step guide to help you write your story.

This is designed to help you understand what recruiters are looking for and give you inspiration to aid the writing process.

Section #1 – The Introduction

The first thing you should do is review the job description so that you know who to address the letter to.

If you’re unsure, or it doesn’t say, check the company’s website to see who is responsible for HR and recruitment. If you still can’t find anything, don’t be scared to phone the company to ask who to address it to. The employer will be impressed that you’ve taken the initiative to find out.

The introduction is about setting the scene and making that first impression. You need to remember that at any point, a recruiter may stop reading your medical assistant cover letter. Therefore, each paragraph needs to give an incentive for them to continue reading to the very end.

For example,

Dear Mrs. Bloggs

I was extremely interested to see your advert for the role of medical assistant at your practice. I am a highly skilled and trained medical assistant with more than five years’ experience. I welcome the opportunity to apply for this role, and through this letter, I shall demonstrate my skills and capabilities.

From the introduction, the recruiter is immediately aware of what role the candidate is applying for, and the fact that they have previous experience.

The last sentence is designed to encourage the recruiter to continue reading.

Section #2 – Why You Are Suited for This Particular Job

This should be the ‘wow’ moment of your medical assistant cover letter. It should really pack a punch in helping them to understand:

a) Why they should continue reading your letter
b) Why they should review your resume
c) Why they should invite you to attend an interview

This should be a story where you make the most of your career history, you highlight any key achievements and you showcase your passion – not just for any job role, but for this specific job position.

You need to be fully aware of the job description so that you know exactly what they are looking for and why. Use this information to guide your answer so that it remains directly relevant to the advertised job role.

For example,

Since 2015, I have worked at Pinewood Medical Center as an administrative medical assistant. My role was to meet the needs of patients, from initially greeting them as they arrive, through to the organization of their medical records. As it is an oncology specialist center, I knew that patients would feel nervous or apprehensive, so I took it upon myself to create a calm and supportive atmosphere for all patients.

Key duties of my job role include:

• Using EHR software to update medical records and confirming medical insurance details for patients
• Scheduling patient appointments – both regular and emergency
• Liaising with third parties including insurers and pharmaceutical representatives, ensuring clear and consistent communication

Key achievements include:

• Working with 50+ patients per day, ensuring that each patient receives a first-class level of care and personal attention
• Reducing pharmaceutical spending by 4% thanks to negotiation and strong personal relationships with sales representatives
• Increased efficiency through the use of EHR software to collate medical records

From this section, we can immediately understand what the candidate’s experience is and what achievements they have made.

The warm tone of voice and way that they have described putting the patient first clearly demonstrates their skills, and the quantifiable use of statistics and the use of bullet points makes the letter easy to scan.

They have also used subtly mimicked phrasing from the job description to highlight specific skills such as 'clear and consistent communication', 'strong personal relationship' and 'increased efficiency'.

Section #3 – Your Qualifications

This stage of the letter is about looking at the qualifications that you have.

If you are applying for an entry-level medical assistant job, you may not have any specific qualifications beyond your high school diploma. If this is the case, use this section to focus on any areas of voluntary experience or key skills that you can draw on.

Useful skills could be the ability to speak different languages. You could also use this section to express your interest in gaining certification to work as a medical assistant and explaining how you think the employer could help you.

For example,

I have looked extensively through your job description and I believe that I have the skills and requirements that you need. Thanks to my previous medical assistant role, I have a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant certificate which was awarded by the National Healthcare Association. I am also fluent in two languages (English and Spanish) and I am in the middle of learning how to communicate via American Sign Language. I believe that my linguistic skills set me apart from other candidates because it’s incredibly important to be able to communicate carefully and clearly with patients.

Here we can immediately understand what qualifications this person has and how they can be applied moving forward.

At this stage of the medical assistant cover letter, the story is now starting to move into the ‘future’ phase of storytelling. The recruiter can now start to understand what this candidate can bring to the table.

Section #4 – What You Can Do for the Specific Employer

At this point in the medical assistant cover letter, you will need to make clear what you can do for this specific employer and why they should hire you.

For example,

I believe that I would be a good fit for your team. I’ve long been impressed by your reputation for patient care and I would welcome the opportunity to work alongside your esteemed colleagues. I understand that every medical practice has its own ways of working, and I am extremely flexible in my approach. Over the last five years, I’ve developed strong personal relationships with many sales representatives and insurance companies, and I would welcome the opportunity to facilitate introductions. There may be an opportunity to make financial savings thanks to new contracts and I believe that I have the experience to streamline workflows and make the team work far more efficiently.

From this, the recruiter can immediately see what this candidate has the potential to do for the firm. The tone is professional, yet they confidently state they can provide added value.

Section #5 – The Final Call to Action

As we draw the medical assistant cover letter to a close, it’s important to remind the recruiter that you have enclosed a copy of your CV for review.

For example,

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I am enclosing a copy of my resume which provides further details of my academic and career background. I would welcome the opportunity to speak to you further about the position. Please feel free to contact me on [PHONE NUMBER] or email me.

Sincerely,

Jane Name

Example Medical Assistant Cover Letter

Here is a full breakdown of the medical assistant cover letter in its entirety. As you can see, it’s an effective tool for selling a story of who the applicant is, looking back at their previous experience and looking ahead to the future.

Dear Mrs. Bloggs

I was extremely interested to see your advert for the role of medical assistant at your practice. I am a highly skilled and trained medical assistant with more than five years’ experience. I welcome the opportunity to apply for this role, and through this letter, I shall demonstrate my skills and capabilities.

Since 2015, I have worked at Pinewood Medical Center as an administrative medical assistant. My role was to meet the needs of patients, from initially greeting them as they arrive, through to the organization of their medical records. As it is an oncology specialist center, I knew that patients would feel nervous or apprehensive, so I took it upon myself to create a calm and supportive atmosphere for all patients.

Key duties throughout my job role have included:

• Using EHR software to update medical records and confirming medical insurance details for patients
• Scheduling patient appointments – both regular and emergency
• Liaising with third parties including insurers and pharmaceutical representatives, ensuring clear and consistent communication

Key achievements have included:

• Working with 50+ patients per day, ensuring that each patient receives a first-class level of care and personal attention
• Reducing pharmaceutical spending by 4% thanks to negotiation and strong personal relationships with sales representatives
• Increased efficiency through the use of EHR software to collate medical records

I have looked extensively through your job description and I believe that I have the skills and requirements that you need. Thanks to my previous medical assistant role, I have a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant certificate which was awarded by the National Healthcare Association.

I am also fluent in two languages (English and Spanish) and I am in the middle of learning how to communicate via American Sign Language. I believe that my linguistic skills set me apart from other candidates because it’s incredibly important to be able to communicate carefully and clearly with patients.

I believe that I would be a good fit for your team. I’ve long been impressed by your reputation for patient care and I would welcome the opportunity to work alongside your esteemed colleagues. I understand that every medical practice has its own ways of working, and I am extremely flexible in my approach.

Over the last five years, I’ve developed strong personal relationships with many sales representatives and insurance companies, and I would welcome the opportunity to facilitate introductions. There may be an opportunity to make financial savings thanks to new contracts and I believe that I have the experience to streamline workflows and make the team work far more efficiently.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I am enclosing a copy of my resume which provides further details of my academic and career background. I would welcome the opportunity to speak to you further about the position.

Please feel free to contact me on [PHONE NUMBER] or email me.

Sincerely,

Jane Name

Top Tips for Writing a Brilliant Medical Assistant Cover Letter

As you begin the writing process, remember to use these tips to make the most of your medical assistant cover letter:

• Review the job description. Be clear in your mind about what the recruiter is looking for and what the job entails. Review your medical assistant cover letter to ensure that it is relevant throughout.
• Take a pyramid approach to your letter. List the most prudent information at the top of the page. At any point, you can expect the recruiter to stop reading, so make sure that they haven’t stopped before they get to the key information.
• Be passionate and show that you care. Medical assistants work closely with patients, so you need to show your passion and your personality. Make it clear that you’ll be a good cultural fit for the employer.
• Be concise. Where possible, make use of bullet points and statistics to demonstrate your point. Your medical assistant cover letter should be no longer than 1 to 1.5 pages. Remember that recruiters don’t have time to read through reams of text. It needs to be short and sweet.
• Focus on the employer. Make sure that everything remains distinctly relevant to this specific employer. Medical assistant cover letters should always be bespoke to each job application.
• Give your letter a clear start, middle and end. Your letter should be your story, telling them who you are, what experience you have and how you can help them. Therefore, it should have a clear start and finish point, ending with a call to action to remind the recruiter to review your resume and get in touch.

Final Thoughts

This article will have given you the insights that you need to write an effective medical assistant cover letter.

Remember, if you do get stuck, we have a wide range of articles throughout the WikiJob website which are designed to help you through every stage of the application process.