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The differences between clinical medical assistants and medical record 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 medical assistant and a medical record assistant. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $34,870 average annual salary of a medical record assistant.
The top three skills for a clinical medical assistant include patients, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a medical record assistant are patients, data entry, and HIPAA.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,052 | $34,870 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $16.76 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 233,464 | 91,238 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 37 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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 medical record assistant is responsible for the proper documentation of the patients' information and medical records for reference to the attending physician or other medical professionals. Medical record assistants also track the patient's medical treatments and progress, as well as their health insurance details and coverage. They also respond to the patient's inquiries and concerns, including scheduling physician's appointments and updating the patients for any released medical results. A medical record assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, categorizing documents, and retrieving files for medical needs.
Clinical medical assistants and medical record assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,052 | $34,870 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $46,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Napa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a clinical medical assistant and a medical record assistant in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between clinical medical assistants' and medical record assistants' demographics:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| 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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |