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The differences between hospital technicians and medical record 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 hospital technician and a medical record assistant. Additionally, a medical record assistant has an average salary of $34,870, which is higher than the $34,666 average annual salary of a hospital technician.
The top three skills for a hospital technician include patients, customer service and hospital policies. The most important skills for a medical record assistant are patients, data entry, and HIPAA.
| Hospital Technician | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,666 | $34,870 |
| Hourly rate | $16.67 | $16.76 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 78,657 | 91,238 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A hospital technician assists the doctors and nurses in a clinic or hospital. They assist healthcare administrators in providing quality health care to patients, which may include providing prescriptions to patients. They are expected to keep patient records, and they may also be called upon to operate some laboratory equipment. This position requires basic knowledge of how to operate hospital equipment.
A medical record assistant is responsible for the proper documentation of the patients' information and medical records for reference to the attending physician or other medical professionals. Medical record assistants also track the patient's medical treatments and progress, as well as their health insurance details and coverage. They also respond to the patient's inquiries and concerns, including scheduling physician's appointments and updating the patients for any released medical results. A medical record assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, categorizing documents, and retrieving files for medical needs.
Hospital technicians and medical record assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hospital Technician | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,666 | $34,870 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $45,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Napa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Baystate Health | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a hospital technician and a medical record assistant in terms of educational background:
| Hospital Technician | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between hospital technicians' and medical record assistants' demographics:
| Hospital Technician | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.0% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |