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The differences between medical assistants and clinical 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 and a clinical medical assistant. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.
The top three skills for a medical assistant include patients, vital signs and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Medical Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,900 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $16.78 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 189,915 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
A clinical medical assistant specializes in performing administrative and clinical tasks in a hospital or similar setting. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's information, medical history, test results, and other essential documentation, and updating patient medical records. Other tasks include reaching out to patients' families and guardians, assisting health workers with room preparation and patient care, and preparing medications and other treatments, all in adherence to a physician's directives. Furthermore, a clinical medical assistant may conduct inspections to ensure that the hospital complies with government regulations.
Medical assistants and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,900 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $43,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical assistant and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assistants' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Medical Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| 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, 23.3% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |