As the nation seeks to improve access to primary care services, medical assistants (MAs) and other pre-baccalaureate occupations highlighted in a recent Brookings report will be a critical component of that growth and expansion. Medical assistants are some of the most common clinical support staff in ambulatory and outpatient healthcare settings but are also relatively low-paid and can face limited career development. Our research at the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco shows that medical assistants are a largely untapped resource to improve healthcare delivery.