Medical clerk vs office assistant

The differences between medical clerks and office assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical clerk and an office assistant. Additionally, a medical clerk has an average salary of $32,439, which is higher than the $31,517 average annual salary of an office assistant.

The top three skills for a medical clerk include patients, medical terminology and data entry. The most important skills for an office assistant are data entry, patients, and customer service.

Medical clerk vs office assistant overview

	Medical Clerk	Office Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,439	$31,517
Hourly rate	$15.60	$15.15
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	166,322	103,293
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	49	47
Years of experience	2	2

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 an office assistant do?

Office assistants perform various tasks to ensure that the business runs organized and efficient. An office assistant must possess excellent communication and multi-tasking skills to handle essential duties such as scheduling meetings, monitoring office supplies, storing documents and necessary paperwork, handling customer inquiries and appointments, coordinating in company events, and accomplishing other clerical tasks and administrative support. Office assistants are also required to communicate any observation that would possibly make an impact on the company's performance.

Medical clerk vs office assistant salary

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

	Medical Clerk	Office Assistant
Average salary	$32,439	$31,517
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $24,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Minnesota	Vermont
Best paying company	Brinks Gilson	Analysis Group
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between medical clerk and office assistant education

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

	Medical Clerk	Office Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 26%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Medical clerk vs office assistant demographics

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

	Medical Clerk	Office Assistant
Average age	49	47
Gender ratio	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%	Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between medical clerk and office 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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Office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage filing, photocopying, collating, and faxing public and seal case documents.
Manage CI s SharePoint pages and serve as CI s subject matter expert on SharePoint working groups.
Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Compile payroll records, detect and reconcile discrepancies, accurately report outcomes using QuickBooks.
Maintain office services by organizing office operations and procedures, preparing payroll, controlling correspondences, and designing filing systems.
File client paperwork upholding HIPAA standards.

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Medical clerk vs office assistant skills

Common medical clerk skills

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

Common office assistant skills

Data Entry, 16%
Patients, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 6%
Front Desk, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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