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The differences between medical assistant externships and medical assisting externs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical assistant externship and a medical assisting extern. Additionally, a medical assisting extern has an average salary of $35,737, which is higher than the $35,460 average annual salary of a medical assistant externship.
The top three skills for a medical assistant externship include patients, vital signs and EKG. The most important skills for a medical assisting extern are patients, vital signs, and EKG.
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Assisting Extern | |
| Yearly salary | $35,460 | $35,737 |
| Hourly rate | $17.05 | $17.18 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 172,671 | 81,077 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Medical assistant externs are medical school students who took the opportunity to get on-the-job training at a medical facility, usually a hospital. They spend a set amount of time in the facility. Medical assistant externs do job shadowing. They join their mentors, who are usually doctors or other health professionals, in their daily activities. Unlike usual on-the-job trainees, medical assistant externs do not really work on administrative activities. Instead, they are given the opportunity to truly be exposed to the actual work in a medical facility. They experience talking to patients and their families, performing basic medical tasks under the supervision of a doctor, and interpreting laboratory results with their mentors.
A medical assisting extern is responsible for supporting the medical team in ensuring that the patients are offered the best care services by providing treatments and medications. Medical assisting externs' duties include practicing their medical skills by shadowing on medical professionals' activities, assisting patients with their inquiries and concerns, facilitating medical procedures with the doctor's supervision, and learning to operate medical tools and equipment as needed. A medical assisting extern must have excellent knowledge in the health industry, as well as a fast-learner to be familiarized with the complexities of medical processes and procedures.
Medical assistant externships and medical assisting externs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Assisting Extern | |
| Average salary | $35,460 | $35,737 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $54,000 | Between $26,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a medical assistant externship and a medical assisting extern in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Assisting Extern | |
| Most common degree | Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assistant externships' and medical assisting externs' demographics:
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Assisting Extern | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7% | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.9% Asian, 9.3% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 9.6% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |