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The differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and certified medical aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant and a certified medical aide. Additionally, a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant has an average salary of $36,382, which is higher than the $32,675 average annual salary of a certified medical aide.
The top three skills for a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a certified medical aide are vital signs, CMA, and state regulations.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $36,382 | $32,675 |
| Hourly rate | $17.49 | $15.71 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 350,499 | 235,444 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | Associate Degree, 25% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A certified medical assistant (CMA) or certified nurse assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who performs clinical and administrative duties in clinics or medical facilities. Certified medical assistants provide excellent customer service to patients arriving and departing from the medical facility and administer injections or medications to their patients. In administrative duties, certified medical assistants are tasked to help clients submit insurance claims and encode medical records to the computer system. They also can work with specialized physicians such as ophthalmologists and podiatrists.
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.
Certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and certified medical aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Average salary | $36,382 | $32,675 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $47,000 | Between $25,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Aya Healthcare | The Blake School |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Media |
There are a few differences between a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant and a certified medical aide in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | Associate Degree, 25% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants' and certified medical aides' demographics:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Certified Medical Aide | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5% | Male, 13.2% Female, 86.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |