Department assistant vs administrative services assistant

The differences between department assistants and administrative services assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a department assistant and an administrative services assistant. Additionally, a department assistant has an average salary of $40,698, which is higher than the $35,490 average annual salary of an administrative services assistant.

The top three skills for a department assistant include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an administrative services assistant are customer service, data entry, and home health.

Department assistant vs administrative services assistant overview

	Department Assistant	Administrative Services Assistant
Yearly salary	$40,698	$35,490
Hourly rate	$19.57	$17.06
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	88,268	115,856
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does a department assistant do?

A department assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support and ensure the smooth operations of an entire department. Department assistants manage meeting calendars, book travel appointments, assist with company events, respond to clients' inquiries and requests through phone calls or personal visits, update customer records, organize electronic files, create business proposals, and monitor supplies. A department assistant must have excellent organizational and communication skills, as well as the ability to multitask under minimal supervision.

What does an administrative services assistant do?

An administrative services assistant is responsible for performing administrative support to an organization, ensuring smooth operations, and providing the best services for the customers. Administrative services assistants are usually the first point of contact of visitors, responding to their inquiries and concerns, verifying appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel or department. They are also present in meetings and conferences, creating minutes reports, presenting documents, and suggesting opportunities to improve operational functions and increase profitability. An administrative services assistant does data processing, sort files, monitor office inventories, and other related tasks as required.

Department assistant vs administrative services assistant salary

Department assistants and administrative services assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Assistant	Administrative Services Assistant
Average salary	$40,698	$35,490
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $67,000	Between $28,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Washington
Best paying company	Dorsey & Whitney	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between department assistant and administrative services assistant education

There are a few differences between a department assistant and an administrative services assistant in terms of educational background:

	Department Assistant	Administrative Services Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Department assistant vs administrative services assistant demographics

Here are the differences between department assistants' and administrative services assistants' demographics:

	Department Assistant	Administrative Services Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%	Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between department assistant and administrative services assistant duties and responsibilities

Department assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
Team player/adaptable HIPPA compliant, CPR certify.
Maintain and process Kronos time and attendance records for department employees.
Perform CPR and assist in critical care room with traumas and arrests.
Clean windows, glass partitions, or mirrors, using soapy water or other cleaners.
Prepare and submit time to Kronos system biweekly and Lawson swift maker schedule for staff.

Administrative services assistant example responsibilities.

Manage local SharePoint and calendar with real estate and construction files, and event information, corporate attorney updates.
Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
Prepare transfer packets and coordinate transfers for patients being send to extend rehabilitation skil facility.
Assist in maintaining accountability of all badges issue, and in documenting all badge transactions within a SharePoint database.
Create PowerPoint presentations for departmental meetings and external marketing tools.
Calculate and submit technicians payroll information and track productivity efficiency of technicians.

Department assistant vs administrative services assistant skills

Common department assistant skills

Patients, 15%
Customer Service, 15%
Data Entry, 8%
Word Processing, 6%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common administrative services assistant skills

Customer Service, 14%
Data Entry, 7%
Home Health, 5%
Provides Administrative Support, 5%
Patients, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

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Department Assistant
Department Assistant vs Administrative Services Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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