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The differences between medical assistant externships and registered medical 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 medical assistant externship and a registered medical assistant. Additionally, a registered medical assistant has an average salary of $36,580, 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 registered medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and office procedures.
| Medical Assistant Externship | Registered Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,460 | $36,580 |
| Hourly rate | $17.05 | $17.59 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 172,671 | 183,988 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Diploma, 31% | Associate 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.
The primary job of registered medical assistants is to perform clinical and administrative tasks in a healthcare setting. They offer support services to physicians, so the latter have plenty of time to care for patients. They carry out varied administrative, clerical, and clinical tasks that include taking vital signs, filing records, and scheduling patient appointments. Other responsibilities include discussing treatment procedures to patients, interacting with patients, and collecting laboratory specimens such as tissue and blood. Ideal characteristics to become a registered medical assistant include being compassionate, can work well with people, and adaptable.
Medical assistant externships and registered medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assistant Externship | Registered Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,460 | $36,580 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $54,000 | Between $26,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Griffin Hospital |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical assistant externship and a registered medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assistant Externship | Registered Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Diploma, 31% | Associate Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assistant externships' and registered medical assistants' demographics:
| Medical Assistant Externship | Registered Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7% | Male, 8.2% Female, 91.8% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |