Here is MA Cover Letter That Will Help You Stand Apart [+ Examples]

Cover letter examples

If you can’t think of anything or just don’t feel comfortable writing, take advantage of our entry-level cover letter samples below.

You’re free to use them as a means of inspiration for your own application, but make sure to tailor it to the specific position you are applying for.

A cover letter: To be, or not to be?

A cover letter is like a written introduction of you and your interest in a professional position, as well as a brief preface to your resume.

Malicious gossip has it that a cover letter is a nice idea that sounds great in theory, but most recruiters and hiring managers perceive it as a primeval remnant from a distant past that is no longer relevant or useful. They don’t even bother to look at it. It’s not worth spending time on it, they say.

And they’re partially right, for occupations, such as in engineering or other STEM related disciplines, where hard skills are valued above all else it has become more common for job-seekers to either omit cover letters entirely or boil them down to a few bullet points at best.

But it’s wrong to say that all employers ignore them completely. The truth is that even the most hardcore recruiters will at least give a cover letter a cursory glance. Some will even explicitly state in their job postings: “If you don’t submit a cover letter, we will not look at your resume”.

Such is especially true for all the occupations in the allied health care field where human interaction and interpersonal skills matters the most.

As you can imagine, it’s hard to judge such traits solely from an itemized list of qualifications.

A physician or any other healthcare professional constantly confronting the difficulties of the typical work day – from crying toddlers to nagging patients to toxic staff members – look for someone who can handle all that on a daily basis.

You can bet they want at least an inkling of the applicant’s personality, and the only way for them to find it out is to read your cover letter.

International studies have shown that hiring managers consistently rate “likability” above skill level. Employers hire people they like – it’s not until they get a good feeling about the candidate and consider the applicant a good cultural fit for their company that they look at his or her professional profile.

By realizing this fact, some inventive job-seekers go so far as to post “cover videos” of themselves on YouTube in an effort to make even more of a positive impression.

Which stands to reason, since if you deprive your prospective employer of the possibility to cast some light on your inner world, you’re wasting away a great chance to connect on an emotional level – almost a sure way of getting your cover letter tossed and lost in the pile with the rest.

A cover letter is especially important for entry level applicants who have little or no related job experience.

Not to mention the fact that if an employer receives your resume and sees nothing else, it looks like you’re lazy or careless.

Unluckily, many job seekers tend to succumb to the temptation of copying&pasting. Should you also find yourself writing a cover letter by cobbling together a patchwork of random cliches from the internet, then it might be better to not write it at all.

You’ve got some anecdotes to tell about how the program has prepared you to be a good MA? By all means mention it.

But remember, while a well-written cover letter might be enough to separate you from hundreds of other applicants it’s not enough to get you a job offer. So don’t expect too much from it.

It’s better to look at it as a mere tool to help you advance to the next step in the hiring process, that is to get you a interview.

Cover letter metrics

According to one survey, two-thirds of employers prefer short cover letters that are half a page or less in length. It’s said that employers and hiring managers are willing to spend no more than 10 seconds to skim through it.

That is, the key is to make sure that your letter is well written, not only in terms of spelling and grammar but also readability.

Since you have only a limited amount of words at your disposal, use fewer of them to say more, don’t be long-winded and risk being overlooked for a more succinct candidate. Your cover letter should:

• consist of 3-4 short paragraphs (just overall break text up into small digestible chunks)
• aim at 250-400 words in length
• leave 1 inch margin on all sides (right, left, top, bottom)
• use 12pt arial or other sans-serif font

General structure

You may have already come across a range of cover letters designs that vary slightly in layout from applicant to applicant, rest assured, it’s normal.

There is no such thing as the perfect “medical assistant cover letter format” the adherence of which will make all physicians throwing themselves at you kissing your feet and begging to fill in the position.

Everyone adds their own spin to it, some put their contact information at the top, while others think it’s important to place it in the top right corner. Some enhance their design visually with colors and backgrounds others prefer a more old-school approach confining themselves only to a couple of fonts and spacing.

As long as you don’t miss anything important, small variations in your layout are completely fine – even desirable provided they do not compromise on clarity and comprehensibility.

That said, you would better not stray too far. The overall structure of your cover letter should still reflect time-proven conventions and be familiar to the potential employer:

1. Your contact info
2. Recipient contact
3. Opening paragraph
4. The body
5. Closing paragraph
6. Salutation

Contact details

Although it’s less common, a job listing might explicitly ask to submit a paper copy of your resume, in this case make sure to insert both contact blocks at the top including: Date, Name, City, State, ZIP, phone number, email address, similar to:

8/19/2000

Dr. Smith 
Gattison Medical Center 
4321 Elm Drive
Pompano Beach, FL 33060
drjohnsmith@gmc.com

A more common approach nowadays is to send a digital version via email. In the virtual realm physical addresses are irrelevant, so leave employer’s contact details off:

8/19/2000

Olivia Walker
4931 Sand Fork Road
Wichita, Kansas 67202
Tel.: 555-263-1678
Email: olisands@gmail.com

Opening paragraph

Start your cover letter with an attention-grabbing opening. Let you personality shine through, demonstrate your interest, energy, enthusiasm for the medical facility and position.

The key is authenticity, by all means avoid making it sound generic. Otherwise your cover letter completely defeats the purpose – tailor it instead.

8/19/2000

Olivia Walker
4931 Sand Fork Road
Wichita, Kansas 67202
Tel.: 555-263-1678
Email: olisands@gmail.com

Keep it short

Remember the old saying “less is more”? That goes for your introduction paragraph, too. Don’t go overboard, aim for no more than two to three sentences (50-60 words). It shouldn’t take the reader more than a few seconds to glance over and get the overall gist.

Use names

An effective cover letter should be personalized and be ideally addressed to a specific individual at the practice, clinic, or hospital.

If you’re applying for a medical assistant position at a local private practice, chances are it neither has the resources nor the need to run a HR department.

Your application is likely to land straight on the physician’s desk and he or she will make the call whether or not to invite you to an interview.

So, anything other than addressing the physician directly would suggest laziness or a lack of interest. Therefore, it’s always best to use the title and name of the potential employer rather than a lackluster “To HR Dept.” or “Dear Sir”.

Sometimes there is simply not enough information given. If the job ad does not reveal the name and title and you cannot find it on their website or other public resources, don’t shy away – make a phone call and ask.

This is very different from larger healthcare facilities such as hospitals or clinics where someone else is usually in charge of hiring. Be prepared to have your application reviewed by a HR staff member before it ends up in the hands of a decision maker.

In this case, you have no choice but to settle for a more general and thus less powerful “Dear Hiring Manager”.

Avoid using old-fashioned greetings like “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern.” They make you sound stiff and uptight.

Be respectful and formal with the greeting

Never, ever use emoticons or smiley faces in your greeting or anywhere else in a cover letter.

Specify the position you’re applying for

Crafting an effective opening is not simply swapping a few words here and there and stating that you are interested in the job. Do not assume the recipient knows what role is being applied for, so make sure to include it somewhere in the opening paragraph.

Also, if appropriate express the kind of position you hope to gain, whether full-time employment, an internship, part-time work, and so on.

It’s a good idea to also mention where or how you heard about the position.

Explain why you want to work for a given employer

This may be about a co-worker’s recommendation, a good reputation or work environment, treatment of employees, company values and ethics, or any other characteristics that attract you as an applicant to a particular employer.

Point out what’s in it for the employer

If space allows, feel free to include skills, accomplishments, and other positive factors that make you a strong candidate. But don’t get too caught up in your writing that you lose sight of the bigger picture – employer.

Ask not what the employer can do for you – ask what you can do for the employer. Think about the person reading your letter and ask yourself:

• Do they actually take the time to read the cover letter word for word or just skim through it?
• What do they expect to find there?
• What do they need and what piques their interest?
• What skills or experience do you have that would be useful and helpful for them?
• If skills and qualifications are lacking, put emphasis on your character traits instead.

Again, the purpose of a good cover letter is to immediately strike a chord with a potential employer and make him or her eager to meet you in person.

Show interest in the medical facility

This is an important inclusion in any cover letter, because it goes beyond the qualifications on a resume, and provides additional insight into your professional character.

As tempting as it might be, resist the urge to send an uninspiring generic, copy&paste cover letter. Given how many applications go through their hands employers or hiring managers may see right through that.

They can usually tell when you haven’t taken the time to consider their needs and might reject your application out of hand.

A cover letter is essentially a sales pitch, marketing tool, advertisement—whatever you want to call it. And like any good advertisement, a cover letter is most effective when it targets the right audience.

Tailoring each letter? That’s all well and good, but doesn’t it take a lot of time? Not necessarily, the truth is that once you have a clear understanding of what your potential employer wants to read, you can get it done in less than half an hour, if you use one of our templates maybe even less.

Just spend a few minutes doing some research online. Pay attention to the details listed in the job ad itself, you’ll often find valuable info there.

If available, read their website or social media profiles and get an idea for their tone and voice, learn about their culture, values, history, mission, goals etc. once you have done this make sure to reflect that in your writing.

For example, if you know from their website that the clinic organizes an annual charity event, you can assume that they value people with a commitment to community service.

You could use this information as part of your opening paragraph, such as

“I have always been committed to making a difference in my community, which is why I am excited about working with Gattison Medical Center.”

This approach demonstrates that you went beyond just regurgitating the “About Us” page, it shows that you made the effort to understand clinic’s goals and values.

From there, it is only a matter of establishing a connection between the things held in high regard by the facility and what you can offer.

As noted before, a great tip is to look up the employer’s contact information and give him or her a direct phone call, prior to sending your resume.

It goes without saying that talking to your potential boss and mentioning your excitement to become a part of the team serves as a great basis for a powerful introduction:

“After our phone conversation yesterday, I feel confirmed in my decision …”

Note, some employers may include a “no calls” policy in their job posting. Be sure that phone calls are welcome before calling directly.

Examples

Main part

The main part of the letter focuses on what you have to offer as a medical assistant and how your relevant experience and qualifications (credentials, internships etc.) will benefit the physician or clinic.

That said, be careful not to fall into the trap of turning a cover letter into a mere overview of your qualifications or a chronological list of your employment history. Your resume already contains that information. Remember, it’s an opportunity to sell yourself as the perfect candidate.

State your main qualifications

Rather than mindlessly repeating what’s on your resume you should expand upon it by providing insight into how you’ve demonstrated those skills.

Give specific examples of what you’ve done, explain how you were able to solve problems and overcome obstacles, discuss your unique contributions.

For instance, if you have just graduated from an MA program, do not simply leave it at that, be sure to elaborate on how the program’s activities prepared you for the position as medical assistant.

You could briefly mention any work experience or internships that also provided related professional preparation.

Should you apply for an entry-level position and there is little to no related work experience to emphasize, direct the focus toward skills you’ve gained and achievements you’ve made:

• high test scores
• various administrative and clerical procedures
• proper document management
• learned how to use bookkeeping, scheduling, EMR and other medical software
• acquired general computer skills (email, office suite)
• communication and other soft skills
• recording vital signs
• administering injections
• etc

You could express your willingness to learn and mention the strong work ethic you bring to the job. Also a good idea is to list any relevant extracurricular activities or hobbies that may be relevant.

Explain how you can be an asset to the potential employer

This is something that can help prepare for interview questions as well. Although this is easier to do with more work experience, even entry level applicants can emphasize their professional assets.

When crafting the main part there are several ways to go about it. A solid method is to start by identifying two or three skills or abilities that are relevant and then use a short two to three sentence combination to cover each of them. As always, keep it brief:

1. Sentence highlights your professional asset
2. Sentence demonstrates how you put it into action.
3. Sentence describes the outcome (how it improved, benefited or contributed to the operation of a clinic or practice) and ties it back to your character and personal strengths.

What will make your cover letter stand out even more is the inclusion of relatable, quantifiable data. To state “I’m a hard worker” is one thing; to prove it is another. So, if possible back up the claims of your professional value with some numbers or any other measurable achievements:

• from the training (i.e. grades or scores)
• internship
• credentials or awards (I achieved a high passing score of …)
• various extracurricular activities (community work, volunteer work etc.)
• even your past employment records provided they are relevant
• etc.

Examples

Closing paragraph

A good cover letter should conclude with a closing paragraph. And like everything else, it needs to be short and sweet, free of unnecessary details. Use this space to include either an explicit or implicit call-to-action asking for a phone or in-person interview.

Examples

Thank you for your time. Please contact me to discuss my qualifications, background and enthusiasm for the field of medical assisting.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I am very enthusiastic about Gattison Medical Center mission. I am particularly excited to learn more about your patient comfort initiatives and how I can be a part of that effort.

My background and skill set make me an ideal candidate for this position, and I am excited to learn more about Gattison Medical Center vision during our interview.

Thank you for considering my application. I am confident that I can contribute to the organizational goals and success of Gattison Medical Center. I would appreciate an interview at your earliest convenience.

I am excited to apply my skills in a patient-centered environment like Gattison Medical Center. Can we meet to discuss how I can be a valuable addition to your team? Thank you for considering me as a candidate.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I’m excited for the opportunity to use my skills as a medical assistant to help you better meet patient needs, reduce the number of errors and lessen the workload. I look forward to discussing this opportunity further with you.

Politely close

For a polite and professional close stick with a friendly yet formal signature like:

• Regards, Kind regards
• Sincerely, Sincerely yours
• Respectfully
• Warm wishes
• Yours truly

To add a personal touch, handwrite the signature. While this isn’t necessary, it can help make your cover letter look more distinctive and interesting.

Give you cover letter an extra boost

Power verbs are strong, descriptive, and active. They are hardworking words that can really get your message across. Not only do they add more vividness to your writing, but they can help you to make your cover letter more concise and precise.

If you’re writing a letter, it’s perfectly acceptable to sprinkle some power verbs throughout the document. In fact, it’s encouraged!

Okay, but when does a weak verb become a power verb? In short, common or weak verbs are versatile and vague in nature which makes them applicable in a wide range of situations, such words are for instance:

• do
• keep
• make
• fix
• show
• say, talk, speak, write
• use
• get
• add
• start

Power verbs on the other hand are specific and concrete. They have hard edges and apply to more narrow use cases. That’s exactly what we want in our cover letter. So instead of using, for example, such a fuzzy verb like “to do” try to turn it into:

• perform
• facilitate
• carry out
• apply
• handle
• etc.

Below are some more examples of power words to spice up your medical assistant cover letter and resume:

• Powerverbs

  advise counsel diagnose treat demonstrate teach inform balance contribute embrace energize harmonize organize supplement accelerate attain exceed alleviate overcome vitalize transform convey emphasize highlight portray report suggest specify compose display formulate personalize challenge enable inspire act carry out handle generate communicate operate decrease receive bolster

  care detect dispense assess educate instruct blend coordinate elevate forge ignite participate unite accomplish award improve introduce maximize produce streamline address articulate convince explain interact present share transmit craft enhance illustrate showcase empower engage spark apply conduct perform create strengthen ensure obtain eliminate acquire

  aid collaborate determine amend master identify adapt enrich augment collaborate cultivate encourage foster join partner achieve establish increase lessen minimize realize surpass advise clarify detail express mediate record captivate differentiate exhibit initiate unveil elicit focus arrange facilitate develop describe maintain alter excel assist examine

A tip for cover letters sent via email

When you're reading this, chances are you're about to submit your application for a job ad posted on one of the major job search sites. It probably asks you to send your resume by email, or offers you the option of uploading it to the employer's account.

If it's the former, then be sure to email your resume and cover letter combined in one single document, usually a PDF or DOC file. This method will ensure that your letter is read with your resume.

Having it split across separate files may cause the employer to open just one attachment, and it's always the resume.

Or you may want to consider writing your cover letter directly in the body of an email and have your resume included as an attachment. The benefit is that when the employer opens up the email, her or she will see your cover letter straight away and will be less likely to overlook it.

What if I have an employment gap?

If there is a career gap, bring it up briefly and then move on, but only if you have a solid reason to justify it, such as:

• a life-changing event like becoming pregnant with your first baby
• you worked at a practice that has since gone out of business
• health issues
• bad economy

If you feel it is necessary, you can succinctly touch upon the circumstances surrounding your employment gap. But be careful not to dwell on negative information. Also, use common sense, avoid wording like you were tired and therefore decided to take some time off.

After all, you want the reader to focus on how diligent you are and why you're perfect for the job.

However, if you have been unemployed for several months or more and you cannot explain why, it's better to remain silent.