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The differences between clinical medical assistants and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $32,806 average annual salary of a patient care technician.
The top three skills for a clinical medical assistant include patients, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,052 | $32,806 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $15.77 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 233,464 | 167,520 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 37 | 34 |
| 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.
Patient care technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.
Clinical medical assistants and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,052 | $32,806 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $46,000 | Between $24,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Rochester, NH |
| Highest paying state | California | Vermont |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical medical assistant and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Bachelor's Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | Emory University |
Here are the differences between clinical medical assistants' and patient care technicians' demographics:
| Clinical Medical Assistant | Patient Care Technician | |
| Average age | 37 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% | Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0% |
| 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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 15% |