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The differences between cardiovascular technicians and medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a cardiovascular technician, becoming a medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a cardiovascular technician has an average salary of $62,986, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.
The top three skills for a cardiovascular technician include patients, BLS and patient care. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Cardiovascular Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $62,986 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $30.28 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 37,036 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Average age | 45 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A cardiovascular technician is responsible for monitoring and administering treatment plans for patients with cardiovascular illnesses. Cardiovascular technicians operate various equipment and machinery to ensure the accuracy of diagnosis and determine the medical procedures to take. They also assist the doctors in performing medical operations, observing the patients' condition, and explaining the test findings to the patients. A cardiovascular technician keeps a record of medical charts for reference, as well as providing progress updates to the doctors and the patients' families.
Medical assistants provide support to medical practitioners in both administrative and clerical tasks. They keep and update the patient's medical records, administer medicines under the supervision of a physician, assist during medical examinations, prepare medical samples for laboratory testing, manage the schedule of appointments, and assist the patients with their bills and in filling out needed forms, such as insurance-related documents. Medical assistants should have good communication skills and analytical skills, be organized, and be flexible. They should also have knowledge of how to operate some medical equipment such as x-ray machines.
Cardiovascular technicians and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cardiovascular Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $62,986 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $91,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Davis, CA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Heartland Home Health Inc. | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a cardiovascular technician and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Cardiovascular Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | Duke University | - |
Here are the differences between cardiovascular technicians' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Cardiovascular Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 45 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.5% Female, 64.5% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.7% Asian, 8.8% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |