Is a medical assistant considered a nurse?

Medical assistants may work in doctors' offices, hospitals, or other medical facilities. Their job centers around many administrative duties. They may reach out to patients to schedule appointments or follow-up care.

Medical assistants also have a role in bookkeeping and billing. Most of their duties are performed at a desk in a medical facility.

Nurses have a much more active role in the physical aspect of a patient's care. They may also work in doctor's offices, hospitals, or other medical facilities. They are often responsible for taking a patient's vitals and gathering other critical information that can then be passed on to a doctor.

Nurses are usually the first point of contact in a hospital setting when ill patients convalesce.

Here are the key differences between a medical assistant and a nurse:

• A medical assistant requires less education than a nurse(usually, a two-year associates degree is the minimum)

• A registered nurse must go through a four-year bachelor's program in nursing and pass the NCLEX exam to become a registered nurse

• A medical assistant works primarily behind a desk or at a medical station and spends a lot of time on the phone but can sometimes have minor patient care-related responsibilities

• A nurse primarily moves around a lot for their job, checking in on multiple patients

• A medical assistant focuses on scheduling, clerical and billing tasks in a doctor's office

• A nurse has a focus on hands-on patient care

• Nurses generally have higher salaries than medical assistants

• Medical assistants require less education and training than nurses