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The differences between medical editors and assistant editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a medical editor and an assistant editor. Additionally, a medical editor has an average salary of $59,482, which is higher than the $52,284 average annual salary of an assistant editor.
The top three skills for a medical editor include proofreading, style guides and FDA. The most important skills for an assistant editor are editorial content, video footage, and web content.
| Medical Editor | Assistant Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $59,482 | $52,284 |
| Hourly rate | $28.60 | $25.14 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 55,508 | 8,716 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Medical editors are professionals who are responsible for assisting medical writers by editing their scientific writings to make them clear and precise for their audience. These editors are required to review and edit articles and medical education materials to ensure that they observe quality writing style and proper grammar. They must provide copyediting and substantive editing for many scholarly medical articles. Medical editors must also edit the safety documentation on all drugs and clinical trials so that they can provide information to patients about treatment options.
An assistant editor is an individual responsible for assisting an editor-in-chief or editor-at-large of a newspaper, magazine, radio program, or website. Assistant editors hold meetings with staff and freelance writers to discuss new, fresh and original content for projects on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. They review assignments handed in by writers or reporters for sense, accuracy, readability, and content. Assistant editors must also utilize new media applications such as Twitter and Facebook to draw attention to an article or cause.
Medical editors and assistant editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Editor | Assistant Editor | |
| Average salary | $59,482 | $52,284 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $98,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Huntington, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Media |
There are a few differences between a medical editor and an assistant editor in terms of educational background:
| Medical Editor | Assistant Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between medical editors' and assistant editors' demographics:
| Medical Editor | Assistant Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.8% Female, 78.2% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |