In 2025, nearly half of healthcare leaders (47%) report that Medical Assistants (MAs) are now the hardest role to hire—outpacing even nurses and billing staff.
This quiet staffing crisis is sending shockwaves through medical practices across the country. And it’s not just about empty positions—it’s about what those vacancies cost in time, revenue, and patient trust.
The Ripple Effects of MA Shortages
When a medical assistant is missing from the care team, the impact is immediate:
Longer patient wait times and schedule backlogs
Overextended physicians stepping in to room patients themselves
Bedside care suffers, which can hurt online reviews and retention
Wait-time complaints spike when MA or RN vacancies rise, according to MGMA service benchmarks
Many practices are left with no choice but to stretch appointments by 10–15 minutes to cover the missing workflow. This delays care, frustrates patients, and erodes the efficiency of your highest-paid team members.
One practice owner shared:
“We lost our second MA this quarter—I’m literally taking vitals between patients.”
This kind of role overload may seem temporary, but over time it contributes to burnout and a loss of professional identity. Worse still, working below license wastes time that could be generating revenue or managing high-value patient interactions.
The High Cost of Stopgap Solutions
The response from many practices? Temporary hires. But that fix has a high price tag:
43% of practices hired alternative staff in 2024 to cover MA gaps
Travel or temp MAs cost 1.5–2x more than full-time hires
At an average of $48/hr, a 160-hour month burns through $4,000–$5,000 extra per role
That’s not sustainable—especially for small or independent practices.
3 Quick Wins That Work
You don’t need an overhaul to solve the MA shortage crisis. Small, focused steps can deliver big results. Here are three evidence-backed strategies:
1. Use Same-Day Pulse Surveys to Keep MAs Longer
Employee exit interviews come too late. Instead, use a short same-day pulse survey and ask:
“What would make you stay 12 more months?”
This proactive tactic, rooted in the Finnegan’s Arrow stay-interview framework, helps managers capture—and act on—what matters most to staff.
💡 Organizations that follow up and close the loop on these insights see 30%+ reductions in MA turnover.
2. Free Up Physicians with Remote Scribes
When providers are forced to chart after hours or cover MA tasks, productivity plummets.
Adding remote scribe support can free up 60–90 minutes per provider per day, reducing burnout and allowing physicians to focus on patient care—not paperwork.
It’s one of the fastest ways to recover revenue-producing minutes lost to staffing gaps.
3. Automate the Overflow with CCM Partnerships
Inbox overload is a growing issue. When refill requests, portal messages, and patient follow-ups all pile up—especially in the absence of MAs—end-of-day chaos becomes the norm.
The fix?
Partner with a Chronic Care Management (CCM) company that can auto-route routine messages and medication refills to a shared nurse pool. This creates a buffer and ensures that care continuity doesn’t suffer, even during staff shortages.
How SynsorMed Helps
At SynsorMed, we’ve partnered with hundreds of medical practices to help them navigate staffing shortages without compromising patient care.
From remote clinical support to smart chronic care routing, our solutions are designed to fill the gaps that MA shortages create—without adding more stress to your providers.
If you’re ready to reclaim your schedule, protect your revenue, and keep your team functioning at the top of their license…
