Medical clerk vs medical assistant

The differences between medical clerks and medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical clerk, becoming a medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, which is higher than the $32,439 average annual salary of a medical clerk.

The top three skills for a medical clerk include patients, medical terminology and data entry. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.

Medical clerk vs medical assistant overview

	Medical Clerk	Medical Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,439	$34,900
Hourly rate	$15.60	$16.78
Growth rate	-8%	16%
Number of jobs	166,322	189,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 26%	Associate Degree, 24%
Average age	49	37
Years of experience	2	12

What does a medical clerk do?

A medical clerk works in the administrative area of a medical facility or hospital. The medical clerk collects all patient information and medical records. The clerk also does all the clinic or hospital paperwork and generates reports of all transactions that transpired in a day's work. The medical clerk also processes admission and discharge papers, medical charts, properly file and safeguard all patient records and secure them from unauthorized access. The medical clerk is expected to be highly organized, capable of handling pressure, and has good communication skills.

What does a medical assistant do?

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.

Medical clerk vs medical assistant salary

Medical clerks and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Clerk	Medical Assistant
Average salary	$32,439	$34,900
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Minnesota	Alaska
Best paying company	Brinks Gilson	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between medical clerk and medical assistant education

There are a few differences between a medical clerk and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:

	Medical Clerk	Medical Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 26%	Associate Degree, 24%
Most common major	Business	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	-	-

Medical clerk vs medical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between medical clerks' and medical assistants' demographics:

	Medical Clerk	Medical Assistant
Average age	49	37
Gender ratio	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%
Race ratio	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%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between medical clerk and medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical clerk example responsibilities.

Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Follow HIPPA patient confidentiality guidelines making patients or facility have filled proper forms to release records.
File results of laboratory tests, x-rays, EKG's, etc., in patients records.
Respond and resolve patient inquiries with compassion and patience.
Prepare request for EKG tests, eye examinations, audio and dental records.
Enter deficiencies into MediTech program.

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Medical assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Participate in emergency surgical intervention in obstetrics and gynecology patients.
Demonstrate proficiency in taking patient history and vitals, venipuncture, injections, urinalysis and preparing examination trays.
Attend to new out patients in gynecology clinic, make clinical diagnosis and follow up.
Provide RMA support to physician, and patients, including but not limit to vitals and patient history.

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Medical clerk vs medical assistant skills

Common medical clerk skills

Patients, 32%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Data Entry, 6%
Phone Calls, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Telephone Calls, 3%

Common medical assistant skills

Patients, 20%
Vital Signs, 10%
Patient Care, 9%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%
EKG, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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