Clerical/administrative assistant vs clerical associate

The differences between clerical/administrative assistants and clerical associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clerical/administrative assistant and a clerical associate. Additionally, a clerical/administrative assistant has an average salary of $30,983, which is higher than the $30,024 average annual salary of a clerical associate.

The top three skills for a clerical/administrative assistant include data entry, word processing and payroll. The most important skills for a clerical associate are patients, data entry, and customer service.

Clerical/administrative assistant vs clerical associate overview

	Clerical/Administrative Assistant	Clerical Associate
Yearly salary	$30,983	$30,024
Hourly rate	$14.90	$14.43
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	56,261	78,648
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	50	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clerical/administrative assistant do?

An administrative assistant, also known as a secretary or office clerk, is someone who carries out daily clerical and administrative tasks. Admin assistants do a variety of tasks such as answering phone calls, organizing files, maintaining contacts, schedule meetings and appointments, and many more. Their task can be extensive, depending on the needs of operations and higher management. They serve as a gatekeeper of the company, so strong verbal and written communication skills are a must. They should also exhibit great organizational skills and time management since they act as the resource of the company.

What does a clerical associate do?

A clerical associate is someone who carries out administrative tasks. Clerical associates photocopy, distribute mail, put together mailings, send faxes, respond to emails, and type letters. The associate's order office supplies, convey messages to staff members, handle payroll, and manage conference rooms. They check records for information accuracy and policy and procedure conformity. It is part of their responsibilities to perform projects for patient care facilitation. Also, they provide support to the mental health clinic in terms of patient care and satisfaction survey distribution and collection.

Clerical/administrative assistant vs clerical associate salary

Clerical/administrative assistants and clerical associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerical/Administrative Assistant	Clerical Associate
Average salary	$30,983	$30,024
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $24,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Bakersfield, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California	GBS
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between clerical/administrative assistant and clerical associate education

There are a few differences between a clerical/administrative assistant and a clerical associate in terms of educational background:

	Clerical/Administrative Assistant	Clerical Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Clerical/administrative assistant vs clerical associate demographics

Here are the differences between clerical/administrative assistants' and clerical associates' demographics:

	Clerical/Administrative Assistant	Clerical Associate
Average age	50	47
Gender ratio	Male, 14.5% Female, 85.5%	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between clerical/administrative assistant and clerical associate duties and responsibilities

Clerical/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Work with QuickBooks to manage store invoices and accounts.
Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA.
Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Check patients in and out, EMR, collect co-pays, answer phones, and take patients to exam rooms.
Assist with preparing and printing of exhibits, spreadsheets and PowerPoint slides as needed.
Maintain payroll and expense information.

Clerical associate example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Apply ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes for outpatient treatments.
Obtain and properly distributes messages using EMR.
Fax radiology reports and make calls regarding abnormal reports.
Coordinate patient radiology exams as well as patient procedures.
Update clinical records associate with patient visits in MYSIS EMR system.

Clerical/administrative assistant vs clerical associate skills

Common clerical/administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 31%
Word Processing, 18%
Payroll, 14%
Customer Service, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 4%
Clerical Support, 3%

Common clerical associate skills

Patients, 23%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 11%
Phone Calls, 5%
Clerical Functions, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

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Clerical/Administrative Assistant
Clerical/Administrative Assistant vs Clerical Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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