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The differences between clinical medical assistants and medical service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical service technician has an average salary of $37,943, which is higher than the $37,052 average annual salary of a clinical medical assistant.
The top three skills for a clinical medical assistant include patients, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a medical service technician are patients, customer service, and vital signs.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,052 | $37,943 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $18.24 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 233,464 | 189,362 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 37 | 36 |
| Years of experience | 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 service technician provides health care and treatments to patients under the supervision or directives of a more experienced physician. Most of their responsibilities revolve around assessing a patient's condition, administering required aid, diagnosing patients, conducting check-ups, and counseling patients. There are also instances when a medical service technician may prescribe medications, conduct inspections at facilities to ensure sanitary conditions, and coordinate with hospital staff for requesting supplies. Furthermore, it is crucial to have accurate documentation of all processes and transactions, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and standards.
Clinical medical assistants and medical service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,052 | $37,943 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $46,000 | Between $23,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Salem, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Sunrise Systems |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a clinical medical assistant and a medical service technician in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between clinical medical assistants' and medical service technicians' demographics:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Medical Service Technician | |
| Average age | 37 | 36 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% |
| 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, 6.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |