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The differences between clinical medical assistants and certified nursing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a clinical medical assistant, becoming a certified nursing assistant takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $32,597 average annual salary of a certified nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a clinical medical assistant include patients, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,052 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 233,464 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 3 |
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.
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Clinical medical assistants and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,052 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $46,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical medical assistant and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between clinical medical assistants' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |