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The differences between certified nurses' 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 nurses' 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 $32,566 average annual salary of a certified nurses' aide.
The top three skills for a certified nurses' aide include patients, vital signs and care plan. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,566 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $15.66 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 171,087 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 26% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 12 |
A certified nurses' aide specializes in providing health care and welfare support to patients in nursing homes, hospitals, hospice, or any facilities that offer long-term care. A nurses' aide is responsible for assisting patients in bathing and dressing, toilet and catheter use, essential daily exercise and walks, and preparing and feeding meals. Furthermore, a nurses' aide must monitor a patient's vital signs and overall condition. It is also essential to coordinate with nurses and other health care workers by reporting changes or improvements.
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 nurses' aides and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,566 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $42,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Guilderland, NY | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified nurses' aide and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 26% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified nurses' aides' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Certified Nurses' Aide | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.8% White, 63.7% 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% |