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Health assistant vs clinical assistant

The differences between health assistants and clinical 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 health assistant and a clinical assistant. Additionally, a health assistant has an average salary of $31,960, which is higher than the $30,215 average annual salary of a clinical assistant.

The top three skills for a health assistant include patients, CPR and customer service. The most important skills for a clinical assistant are patients, customer service, and PET.

Health assistant vs clinical assistant overview

Health AssistantClinical Assistant
Yearly salary$31,960$30,215
Hourly rate$15.37$14.53
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs100,084101,926
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age3737
Years of experience1212

What does a health assistant do?

A health assistant is responsible for providing quality care for the patients under the supervision of registered nurses and attending physicians. Health assistants perform basic medical procedures, such as collecting specimens for examinations, checking the patients' conditions, and administering required medications. They also assist health care professionals in conducting complex medical processes by preparing the equipment and ensuring the cleanliness of the operating room. A health assistant keeps an organized record of medical charts for the doctor's reference and may also coordinate with the patient's family for medical updates.

What does a clinical assistant do?

A clinical assistant is responsible for assisting medical professionals with medical procedures and ensure a high level of patient care. Clinical assistants perform minor clinic procedures such as taking patients' temperature, sterilizing medical equipment, proper dumping of disposable items, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, processing payments, arranging appointment schedules, and maintaining an organized record of patients' information, such as their medical history and health insurance records. A clinical assistant must strictly adhere to sanitary and hygienic procedures at all times to promote a safe and clean environment for the patients.

Health assistant vs clinical assistant salary

Health assistants and clinical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Health AssistantClinical Assistant
Average salary$31,960$30,215
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $43,000Between $13,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CityCambridge, MABrockton, MA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsMassachusetts
Best paying companyBoston Public SchoolsColumbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industryGovernmentPharmaceutical

Differences between health assistant and clinical assistant education

There are a few differences between a health assistant and a clinical assistant in terms of educational background:

Health AssistantClinical Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingPsychology
Most common college--

Health assistant vs clinical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between health assistants' and clinical assistants' demographics:

Health AssistantClinical Assistant
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 17.9% Female, 82.1%Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 9.5% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between health assistant and clinical assistant duties and responsibilities

Health assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
  • Review and do compliance of school health records in NYC public schools to ensure adherence to protocols and for quality control.
  • Study correlation of high incarceration rates and community health indicators in NYC neighborhoods
  • Provide breastfeeding promotion to all WIC women as the preferred infant feeding method.
  • Learned how to triage campers during health center hours on a case to case basis.
  • Perform diagnostic procedure including but not limit to EKG's, urine dipsticks, etc.
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Clinical assistant example responsibilities.

  • Participate in multiple studies managing CTM activities for various therapeutic areas simultaneously including oncology, urology, transplant, and immunology.
  • Interview patients and interpret EKG recordings transmit via telephone.
  • Maintain CPR certification on yearly basis and perform errands as per the instructions of supervisor.
  • Act as a paramedic including CPR, heart defibrillator, first aid, emergency care.
  • Schedule necessary test such as nerve conductions studies, bone scans, and MRI's.
  • Conduct mini-meetings with small groups of doctors to encourage them to take ownership of their EMR forms.
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Health assistant vs clinical assistant skills

Common health assistant skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • CPR, 10%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Vital Signs, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Health Services, 4%
Common clinical assistant skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • PET, 8%
  • Vital Signs, 6%
  • CPR, 3%
  • Phlebotomy, 3%

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