Medical assistant vs clinical assistant

The differences between medical assistants and clinical 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 and a clinical assistant. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, which is higher than the $30,215 average annual salary of a clinical assistant.

The top three skills for a medical assistant include patients, vital signs and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical assistant are patients, customer service, and PET.

Medical assistant vs clinical assistant overview

	Medical Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Yearly salary	$34,900	$30,215
Hourly rate	$16.78	$14.53
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	189,915	101,926
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical assistant do?

Medical assistants provide support to medical practitioners in both administrative and clerical tasks. They keep and update the patient's medical records, administer medicines under the supervision of a physician, assist during medical examinations, prepare medical samples for laboratory testing, manage the schedule of appointments, and assist the patients with their bills and in filling out needed forms, such as insurance-related documents. Medical assistants should have good communication skills and analytical skills, be organized, and be flexible. They should also have knowledge of how to operate some medical equipment such as x-ray machines.

What does a clinical assistant do?

A clinical assistant is responsible for assisting medical professionals with medical procedures and ensure a high level of patient care. Clinical assistants perform minor clinic procedures such as taking patients' temperature, sterilizing medical equipment, proper dumping of disposable items, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, processing payments, arranging appointment schedules, and maintaining an organized record of patients' information, such as their medical history and health insurance records. A clinical assistant must strictly adhere to sanitary and hygienic procedures at all times to promote a safe and clean environment for the patients.

Medical assistant vs clinical assistant salary

Medical assistants and clinical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Average salary	$34,900	$30,215
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	Between $13,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Brockton, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between medical assistant and clinical assistant education

There are a few differences between a medical assistant and a clinical assistant in terms of educational background:

	Medical Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Medical assistant vs clinical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between medical assistants' and clinical assistants' demographics:

	Medical Assistant	Clinical Assistant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%	Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.7% Asian, 8.8% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between medical assistant and clinical assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Participate in emergency surgical intervention in obstetrics and gynecology patients.
Demonstrate proficiency in taking patient history and vitals, venipuncture, injections, urinalysis and preparing examination trays.
Attend to new out patients in gynecology clinic, make clinical diagnosis and follow up.
Provide RMA support to physician, and patients, including but not limit to vitals and patient history.

Clinical assistant example responsibilities.

Participate in multiple studies managing CTM activities for various therapeutic areas simultaneously including oncology, urology, transplant, and immunology.
Interview patients and interpret EKG recordings transmit via telephone.
Maintain CPR certification on yearly basis and perform errands as per the instructions of supervisor.
Act as a paramedic including CPR, heart defibrillator, first aid, emergency care.
Schedule necessary test such as nerve conductions studies, bone scans, and MRI's.
Conduct mini-meetings with small groups of doctors to encourage them to take ownership of their EMR forms.

Medical assistant vs clinical assistant skills

Common medical assistant skills

Patients, 20%
Vital Signs, 10%
Patient Care, 9%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%
EKG, 4%

Common clinical assistant skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 10%
PET, 8%
Vital Signs, 6%
CPR, 3%
Phlebotomy, 3%

Medical Assistant vs. similar jobs

Medical Assistant related careers

Medical Assistant related jobs

Medical Assistant jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Medical Assistant
Medical Assistant vs Clinical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare support jobs