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The differences between clinical technicians and 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 technician and a medical assistant. Additionally, a clinical technician has an average salary of $35,760, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.
The top three skills for a clinical technician include patients, vital signs and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Clinical Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,760 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $17.19 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 161,812 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations. They also maintain medical charts, update patients' information on the database, and administer patients' medication. A clinical technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as strictly following internal guidelines and safety procedures during operations.
Medical assistants provide support to medical practitioners in both administrative and clerical tasks. They keep and update the patient's medical records, administer medicines under the supervision of a physician, assist during medical examinations, prepare medical samples for laboratory testing, manage the schedule of appointments, and assist the patients with their bills and in filling out needed forms, such as insurance-related documents. Medical assistants should have good communication skills and analytical skills, be organized, and be flexible. They should also have knowledge of how to operate some medical equipment such as x-ray machines.
Clinical technicians and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,760 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $48,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical technician and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | - |
Here are the differences between clinical technicians' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Clinical Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.7% Asian, 8.8% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |