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The differences between medical assistants and phlebotomists 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 phlebotomist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, which is higher than the $33,713 average annual salary of a phlebotomist.
The top three skills for a medical assistant include patients, vital signs and patient care. The most important skills for a phlebotomist are patients, customer service, and blood samples.
| Medical Assistant | Phlebotomist | |
| Yearly salary | $34,900 | $33,713 |
| Hourly rate | $16.78 | $16.21 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 189,915 | 11,707 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.4 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Associate Degree, 22% |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| 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.
Phlebotomists are workers in the medical field who specialize in drawing blood from patients. They ensure that patients are prepared by explaining the procedure to them, showing them tools they will use and where their blood will be stored, and answering any questions the patients may have. Phlebotomists then draw blood from the patient, patch up the area where the blood was drawn, and store the blood samples in properly labeled vials or blood bags. After the procedure, they send the blood samples to the laboratory for testing, transfusion, or any other use that there may be.
Medical assistants and phlebotomists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assistant | Phlebotomist | |
| Average salary | $34,900 | $33,713 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $43,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical assistant and a phlebotomist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assistant | Phlebotomist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 24% | Associate Degree, 22% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assistants' and phlebotomists' demographics:
| Medical Assistant | Phlebotomist | |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% | Male, 16.7% Female, 83.3% |
| 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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 9.3% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |