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General internship vs front office assistant

The differences between general interns and front office 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 general internship and a front office assistant. Additionally, a general internship has an average salary of $61,485, which is higher than the $32,913 average annual salary of a front office assistant.

The top three skills for a general internship include internship program, patients and powerpoint. The most important skills for a front office assistant are patients, customer service, and excellent interpersonal.

General internship vs front office assistant overview

General InternshipFront Office Assistant
Yearly salary$61,485$32,913
Hourly rate$29.56$15.82
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs88,761149,847
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 24%
Average age4747
Years of experience22

What does a general internship do?

A general intern is responsible for supporting the business operations by performing administrative and clerical duties under the supervision of a direct manager or tenured staff. Interns shadow employees from different teams to have a good grasp of the services and processes offered by the company, understanding each group's functions, and analyzing how the business works for the clients. They also attend and write meeting reports, assist with organizing programs and events, and conduct data processing procedures.

What does a front office assistant do?

Front office assistants typically work and perform their duty within the office. They do office support duties like welcome and greet customers, answer phone calls, and schedule and plan appointments. It is their responsibility to sort mails, route calls, and listen to voicemails. They need to organize and give out communications promptly. Also, they do clerical tasks, manage inventory, and maintain their work area. They must be keen to details, can multitask and have excellent communication and customer service skills.

General internship vs front office assistant salary

General interns and front office assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

General InternshipFront Office Assistant
Average salary$61,485$32,913
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $84,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonConnecticut
Best paying companyGeneral MotorsUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryProfessionalHealth Care

Differences between general internship and front office assistant education

There are a few differences between a general internship and a front office assistant in terms of educational background:

General InternshipFront Office Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 24%
Most common majorBusinessMedical Assisting Services
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

General internship vs front office assistant demographics

Here are the differences between general interns' and front office assistants' demographics:

General InternshipFront Office Assistant
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 51.4% Female, 48.6%Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 10.6% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between general internship and front office assistant duties and responsibilities

General internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage a web-base graphical interface that utilize a SQL database to better track fabrication lab operations.
  • Update and revise both standard and project specific engineering drawings in AutoCAD.
  • Update websites and Facebook page on the latest collections, successfully increasing followers and web traffic.
  • Work extensively with AutoCAD drafting floor plans, general planning, and designing using ADA standards.
  • Needle guidance for radiologists in thyroid fine needle aspirations and breast core biopsies under sterile conditions.
  • Handle all A/P functions with growing responsibility in the areas of A/R, purchasing and personnel administration.
  • Show more

Front office assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage correspondence and documentation for OSHA compliance and hold some accounts payable responsibilities by coding invoices for processing and payment.
  • Ensure compliance with HIPAA and OSHA regulations to improve customer relations and promote favorable patient/physician interactions.
  • Download all transcription for the physicians and mail out letters and patient consults.
  • Utilize knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT coding by verifying explanation of benefits render to patient, for insurance purposes.
  • Collect co-pays, enter update demographics into EHR/EMR, enter ICD-9 and CPT codes as needed into patient records electronically
  • Verify insurance to include commercial and Medicaid.
  • Show more

General internship vs front office assistant skills

Common general internship skills
  • Internship Program, 21%
  • Patients, 19%
  • PowerPoint, 11%
  • Patient Care, 6%
  • Financial Statements, 4%
  • Data Analysis, 4%
Common front office assistant skills
  • Patients, 21%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
  • Patient Demographics, 5%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Front Desk, 4%

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