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The differences between medical assisting externs 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 assisting extern and a clinical medical assistant. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $35,737 average annual salary of a medical assisting extern.
The top three skills for a medical assisting extern include patients, vital signs and EKG. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Medical Assisting Extern | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,737 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $17.18 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 81,077 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A medical assisting extern is responsible for supporting the medical team in ensuring that the patients are offered the best care services by providing treatments and medications. Medical assisting externs' duties include practicing their medical skills by shadowing on medical professionals' activities, assisting patients with their inquiries and concerns, facilitating medical procedures with the doctor's supervision, and learning to operate medical tools and equipment as needed. A medical assisting extern must have excellent knowledge in the health industry, as well as a fast-learner to be familiarized with the complexities of medical processes and procedures.
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 assisting externs and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assisting Extern | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,737 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $48,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical assisting extern and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assisting Extern | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assisting externs' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Medical Assisting Extern | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 9.6% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |