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The differences between clinical assistants and lead medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a clinical assistant and a lead medical assistant. Additionally, a lead medical assistant has an average salary of $38,303, which is higher than the $30,215 average annual salary of a clinical assistant.
The top three skills for a clinical assistant include patients, customer service and PET. The most important skills for a lead medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Clinical Assistant | Lead Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,215 | $38,303 |
| Hourly rate | $14.53 | $18.41 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 101,926 | 163,228 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A clinical assistant is responsible for assisting medical professionals with medical procedures and ensure a high level of patient care. Clinical assistants perform minor clinic procedures such as taking patients' temperature, sterilizing medical equipment, proper dumping of disposable items, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, processing payments, arranging appointment schedules, and maintaining an organized record of patients' information, such as their medical history and health insurance records. A clinical assistant must strictly adhere to sanitary and hygienic procedures at all times to promote a safe and clean environment for the patients.
A lead medical assistant performs administrative support tasks for clinical teams to provide optimal care and services to patients. They work under the supervision of a clinical manager whom they report to regularly. Among their responsibilities include establishing staff schedules and guidelines, conducting research and analysis, coordinating staff, reviewing medical charts and reports, organizing documents, and training new members of the workforce. Moreover, they may also assist patients by answering inquiries, performing follow-up calls to confirm appointment schedules, and preparing patients by giving them the information they need.
Clinical assistants and lead medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Assistant | Lead Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $30,215 | $38,303 |
| Salary range | Between $13,000 And $66,000 | Between $23,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Brockton, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | - |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a clinical assistant and a lead medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Assistant | Lead Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between clinical assistants' and lead medical assistants' demographics:
| Clinical Assistant | Lead Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6% | Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 26.6% Asian, 8.7% White, 49.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |