What does an information assistant do?

The duties of an information assistant depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In a university setting, an information assistant is typically a working-student whose responsibilities revolve around answering office inquiries and correspondence, assisting students and faculty as needed. They may also perform support tasks, such as preparing and processing documents, creating information materials, managing schedules and appointments, coordinating with different university offices, maintaining extensive records, and updating databases, all while adhering to the institution's policies and regulations.
Information assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real information assistant resumes:
- Set up and manage athletic department's Facebook page.
- Manage the transition from paper charting to an online EMR for a nonprofit medical clinic.
- Assist with client management of Medicaid population-transportation, faxing of client information to manage care plan and physicians.
- Aid in transition from paper charting to EMR system.
- Design GameDay programs and media guides in both PageMaker and InDesign.
- Enter ICD-9-CM codes and CPT codes for processing of insurance claims.
- Maintain and monitor the library s website and social media pages like Facebook.
- Update policies and procedure to assure clinic are meeting HIPPA and FERPA standards.
- Maintain records, film maintenance in compliance with HIPAA regulations, regarding patient privacy matters.
- Serve as main contact for women's basketball, softball and men's and women's tennis.
- Work alongside compliance director to better understand the evaluation of red shirts and the requirements for NCAA application.
- Assist clients with patient information in accordance to hospital and HIPAA regulations, over the telephone and in person.
- Support in the design and distribution of promotional materials for the girls' softball season to increase student attendance.
- Supervise student assistants in the media efforts for the men's volleyball and men's and women's swimming teams.
- Draft, format, finalize and distribute PowerPoint presentations, charts, spreadsheets, reports, documents and routine correspondence.
Information assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Information Assistants are proficient in Patients, Data Entry, and Athletic Website. They’re also known for soft skills such as Writing skills, Organizational skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Information Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 16%
Assisted Bristol-Myers Squibb patients with oncology and virology medication through their patient assistance program.
- Data Entry, 11%
Performed data entry, copies, faxed and printed reports, created patient files and pulled charts for doctors.
- Athletic Website, 7%
Maintain athletic website including graphic design.
- Press Releases, 7%
Serve as media liaison and answer questions, issue press releases, and arrange interviews with Council Members and/or City employees.
- Quality Assistance, 6%
Provide quality assistance and service to guests and residents in the residence halls.
- HIPAA, 3%
Assisted clients with patient information in accordance to hospital and HIPAA regulations, over the telephone and in person.
"patients," "data entry," and "athletic website" are among the most common skills that information assistants use at work. You can find even more information assistant responsibilities below, including:
Writing skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an information assistant to have is writing skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Information assistants often use writing skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "assist in writing press releases; help coordinate interviews before and after contest, research statistics for media guides. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform information assistant duties is organizational skills. Information assistants responsibilities require that "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently." Information assistants also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "composed stories for press releases worked in photoshop to create pictures for their website learned organizational skills"
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of information assistants is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday information assistant duties, as "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided a superior level of customer service handled cash and credit card transactions exhibited strong communication/interpersonal skills"
The three companies that hire the most information assistants are:
- Kaiser Permanente4 information assistants jobs
- St. Elizabeth Healthcare4 information assistants jobs
- Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital2 information assistants jobs
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Information assistant vs. Assistant operator
The duties of an assistant operator depend on one's industry of employment or the kind of machine that they are operating. Typically, their tasks may revolve around coordinating with operators and other staff, handling and managing documents, understanding blueprints, and adhering to the directives of operators and supervisors. Furthermore, as an assistant operator, it is essential to perform support tasks, such as preparing tools and conducting regular maintenance checks to ensure the efficiency of machines and maintain a safe work environment.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an information assistant are more likely to require skills like "patients," "data entry," "athletic website," and "press releases." On the other hand, a job as an assistant operator requires skills like "customer service," "ladders," "safety procedures," and "cash control." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Assistant operators earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $43,976. On the other hand, information assistants are paid more in the professional industry with an average salary of $37,079.On average, assistant operators reach similar levels of education than information assistants. Assistant operators are 4.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Information assistant vs. Front desk administrative assistant
A front desk administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to support daily business functions and operations. Front desk administrative assistants assist guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate personnel for their needs. They also monitor office inventories, write purchase requests, and distribute mails across the departments. A front desk administrative assistants review business and financial transactions to generate reports, update information on the company's database, and sort documents for reference.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real information assistant resumes. While information assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "athletic website," "press releases," "quality assistance," and "emergency situations," front desk administrative assistants use skills like "customer service," "phone calls," "front desk operations," and "check-in."
On average, front desk administrative assistants earn a lower salary than information assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, front desk administrative assistants earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $34,812. Whereas information assistants have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $37,079.front desk administrative assistants earn lower levels of education than information assistants in general. They're 5.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Information assistant vs. Administrative assistant/technical
An administrative assistant/technical is primarily responsible for performing clerical and support tasks in a company, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. They must produce progress reports, process documentation, receive communication letters, manage schedules, and even greet visitors. There are also instances when an administrative assistant/technical has to answer calls and correspondence, respond to inquiries, address issues and concerns, and resolve them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions, coordinate with different departments, and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, information assistants are more likely to have skills like "athletic website," "press releases," "quality assistance," and "emergency situations." But a administrative assistant/technical is more likely to have skills like "travel arrangements," "access database," "purchase orders," and "payroll."
Administrative assistant/technicals earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $42,925. Comparatively, information assistants have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $37,079.Most administrative assistant/technicals achieve a similar degree level compared to information assistants. For example, they're 4.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Information assistant vs. Administrative office assistant
An administrative office assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties to assist in daily management operations. These duties include taking calls and responding to client and customers' inquiries and concerns, scheduling meetings and conferences, organizing files and submitting required documents, sorting invoices for release, processing travel arrangements, receiving emails, forwarding reports to the appropriate department, and coordinating with company's events. An administrative assistant must be detail-oriented, as well as having excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform duties even under minimal supervision.
Types of information assistant
Updated January 8, 2025











