Certified physician assistant vs clinical laboratory assistant

The differences between certified physician assistants and clinical laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified physician assistant has an average salary of $126,201, which is higher than the $32,679 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a certified physician assistant include patients, diagnosis and surgical procedures. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and clinical lab.

Certified physician assistant vs clinical laboratory assistant overview

	Certified Physician Assistant	Clinical Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary	$126,201	$32,679
Hourly rate	$60.67	$15.71
Growth rate	28%	10%
Number of jobs	123,124	108,124
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	39	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a certified physician assistant do?

Certified Physician assistants are healthcare professionals who are trained and supervised by a physician to diagnose and treat illness as well as provide preventive care to their patients. These assistants must collaborate with specialists so that they can ensure optimal patient care through formal and informal consultations. They are required to develop and implement new strategies for patient care based on current medical practice guidelines. Certified Physician Assistants must also assist with cases in general surgery such as orthopedic, thoracic, and vascular procedures.

What does a clinical laboratory assistant do?

A clinical laboratory assistant specializes in performing support tasks in a laboratory or similar setting using their in-depth knowledge. They are primarily responsible for assisting researchers, preparing samples and apparatus, conducting experiments and analysis, maintaining extensive documentation of all processes and results, and reporting to management. Moreover, a clinical laboratory assistant is also responsible for gathering necessary information before beginning studies and maintaining the laboratory's cleanliness and sanitation. It is vital to implement all the safety rules and regulations to ensure a safe and productive work environment.

Certified physician assistant vs clinical laboratory assistant salary

Certified physician assistants and clinical laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Physician Assistant	Clinical Laboratory Assistant
Average salary	$126,201	$32,679
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $215,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Roswell Park
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between certified physician assistant and clinical laboratory assistant education

There are a few differences between a certified physician assistant and a clinical laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:

	Certified Physician Assistant	Clinical Laboratory Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Physician Assistant	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	New York University

Certified physician assistant vs clinical laboratory assistant demographics

Here are the differences between certified physician assistants' and clinical laboratory assistants' demographics:

	Certified Physician Assistant	Clinical Laboratory Assistant
Average age	39	44
Gender ratio	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%	Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 12.1% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	12%	8%

Differences between certified physician assistant and clinical laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Certified physician assistant example responsibilities.

Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Provide bio-identical hormone replacement therapy to select patients and provide coordination of patient care in a rural primary care setting.
Perform comprehensive history and physical exams and provide a multidisciplinary care plan for patients suffering from acute and chronic pain.
Perform suturing repair for laceration repairs.
Work in an outpatient orthopedic clinic with emphasis on physical medicine, rehabilitation of both chronic and acute orthopedic conditions.
Document all procedures via dictation or handwritten in patient chart.

Clinical laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

Achieve PHLEBOTOMY duties utilizing proper infection control techniques and perform a variety of laboratory tests.
Process specimen, recollect and deliver to chemistry, microbiology, molecular or hematology departments for testing.
Receive specimens for microbiology, histology, cytology, anatomic pathology and hematology tests/procedures, checks for proper identification and requisition.
Operate EKG and other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.
Transfer of samples from racks to centrifuges and decant station.
Administer EKG's, clean wounds, draw labs, and apply dressings.

Certified physician assistant vs clinical laboratory assistant skills

Common certified physician assistant skills

Patients, 25%
Diagnosis, 7%
Surgical Procedures, 5%
Outpatient Clinic, 5%
Urgent Care, 4%
Internal Medicine, 4%

Common clinical laboratory assistant skills

Patients, 17%
Phlebotomy, 14%
Clinical Lab, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Specimen Collection, 4%
Patient Care, 4%

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Certified Physician Assistant vs Clinical Laboratory Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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