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The differences between medical assistants and medical support assistants 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, becoming a medical support assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical support assistant has an average salary of $35,390, 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 medical support assistant are patients, patient care, and advanced life support.
| Medical Assistant | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,900 | $35,390 |
| Hourly rate | $16.78 | $17.01 |
| Growth rate | 16% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 189,915 | 190,633 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 37 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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 medical support assistant job is mainly in health care services, such as hospitals, medical clinics, and private doctors who perform administrative duties and organizing schedules and records. They work together with patients' physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel. Assistants can directly work with patients and call insurance firms on their behalf to inquire about insurance coverage. Medical support assistants encode data on a computer regarding patients' medications, treatment, and lab test results.
Medical assistants and medical support assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assistant | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,900 | $35,390 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $43,000 | Between $28,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a medical assistant and a medical support assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assistant | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assistants' and medical support assistants' demographics:
| Medical Assistant | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| 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, 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% |