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The differences between medical assistant externships and medical clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical assistant externship, becoming a medical clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical assistant externship has an average salary of $35,460, which is higher than the $32,439 average annual salary of a medical clerk.
The top three skills for a medical assistant externship include patients, vital signs and EKG. The most important skills for a medical clerk are patients, medical terminology, and data entry.
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $35,460 | $32,439 |
| Hourly rate | $17.05 | $15.60 |
| Growth rate | 16% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 172,671 | 166,322 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 26% |
| Average age | 37 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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 clerk works in the administrative area of a medical facility or hospital. The medical clerk collects all patient information and medical records. The clerk also does all the clinic or hospital paperwork and generates reports of all transactions that transpired in a day's work. The medical clerk also processes admission and discharge papers, medical charts, properly file and safeguard all patient records and secure them from unauthorized access. The medical clerk is expected to be highly organized, capable of handling pressure, and has good communication skills.
Medical assistant externships and medical clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Clerk | |
| Average salary | $35,460 | $32,439 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $54,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | Minnesota |
| Best paying company | - | Brinks Gilson |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a medical assistant externship and a medical clerk in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Diploma, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 26% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assistant externships' and medical clerks' demographics:
| Medical Assistant Externship | Medical Clerk | |
| Average age | 37 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7% | Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5% |
| 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, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |