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The differences between certified medical aides and clinical medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-3 months to become a certified medical aide, becoming a clinical medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $32,675 average annual salary of a certified medical aide.
The top three skills for a certified medical aide include vital signs, CMA and state regulations. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Certified Medical Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,675 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $15.71 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 235,444 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 12 |
A certified medical aide's role is to assist registered nurses in providing care and assistance to patients. Among their responsibilities include administering medication to patients under the nurses' supervision, monitoring medication schedules and intakes, recording vital signs and other information, and observing the patients' behavior or progress, reporting to the nurses regularly. They may also assist medical staff in performing clerical tasks or transporting patients. Furthermore, a certified medical aide must respond to the needs of patients while adhering to the safety policies and standards.
A clinical medical assistant specializes in performing administrative and clinical tasks in a hospital or similar setting. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's information, medical history, test results, and other essential documentation, and updating patient medical records. Other tasks include reaching out to patients' families and guardians, assisting health workers with room preparation and patient care, and preparing medications and other treatments, all in adherence to a physician's directives. Furthermore, a clinical medical assistant may conduct inspections to ensure that the hospital complies with government regulations.
Certified medical aides and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,675 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | The Blake School | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Media | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified medical aide and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 25% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical aides' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Certified Medical Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.0% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.3% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |