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The differences between medical assisting externs and medical specialists 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 medical specialist. Additionally, a medical specialist has an average salary of $40,277, 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 medical specialist are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Medical Assisting Extern | Medical Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,737 | $40,277 |
| Hourly rate | $17.18 | $19.36 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 81,077 | 68,607 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| 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.
Medical specialists are responsible for diagnosing patients and performing medical procedures according to their areas of expertise. They coordinate with the clinical team on administering medications, conducting laboratory examinations, and monitoring admitted patients, ensuring that they receive high-quality care services from the medical staff. A medical specialist also communicates with the patients' families to respond to their medical inquiries and concerns, as well as providing them with updates on the patients' progress. A medical specialist observes the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities at all times, including the inspection of medical tools and equipment for operations.
Medical assisting externs and medical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Assisting Extern | Medical Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,737 | $40,277 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $48,000 | Between $21,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Adobe |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a medical assisting extern and a medical specialist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Assisting Extern | Medical Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical assisting externs' and medical specialists' demographics:
| Medical Assisting Extern | Medical Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7% | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |