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The differences between medical assistant instructors and medical assistant externships 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 instructor and a medical assistant externship. Additionally, a medical assistant instructor has an average salary of $40,698, which is higher than the $35,460 average annual salary of a medical assistant externship.
The top three skills for a medical assistant instructor include patients, vital signs and patient care. The most important skills for a medical assistant externship are patients, vital signs, and EKG.
| Medical Assistant Instructor | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Yearly salary | $40,698 | $35,460 |
| Hourly rate | $19.57 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 180,025 | 172,671 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Diploma, 31% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
An assistant medical instructor is responsible for supporting medical instructors in teaching medical students for programs and processes, depending on their area of expertise. Assistant medical instructors handle the preparation of learning materials and other related resources according to the class level and curriculum. They also serve as a liaison between the instructor and the students to respond with inquiries and concerns, resolve learning difficulties, and document examinations. An assistant medical instructor must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in maintaining organized student records and updating the grading system as needed.
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.
Medical assistant instructors and medical assistant externships have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assistant Instructor | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Average salary | $40,698 | $35,460 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $60,000 | Between $23,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Framingham, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | Erlanger Health System | - |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between a medical assistant instructor and a medical assistant externship in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assistant Instructor | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 27% | Diploma, 31% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assistant instructors' and medical assistant externships' demographics:
| Medical Assistant Instructor | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4% | Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.2% Asian, 9.8% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |