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The differences between medical interns and clinical 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 internship and a clinical assistant. Additionally, a medical internship has an average salary of $50,843, which is higher than the $30,215 average annual salary of a clinical assistant.
The top three skills for a medical internship include patients, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a clinical assistant are patients, customer service, and PET.
| Medical Internship | Clinical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,843 | $30,215 |
| Hourly rate | $24.44 | $14.53 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 127,692 | 101,926 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
When it comes to a medical internship, one of the primary duties is to attend to the patients' needs while under a more experienced physician's supervision. During this period, the medical interns must rotate in various fields of specialties or departments for exposure. Aside from learning and observing, there are also instances when medical interns are required to produce necessary reports and documentation, communicate with patients and families, and take part in more challenging cases.
A clinical assistant is responsible for assisting medical professionals with medical procedures and ensure a high level of patient care. Clinical assistants perform minor clinic procedures such as taking patients' temperature, sterilizing medical equipment, proper dumping of disposable items, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, processing payments, arranging appointment schedules, and maintaining an organized record of patients' information, such as their medical history and health insurance records. A clinical assistant must strictly adhere to sanitary and hygienic procedures at all times to promote a safe and clean environment for the patients.
Medical interns and clinical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Internship | Clinical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,843 | $30,215 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $77,000 | Between $13,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Brockton, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medical internship and a clinical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Internship | Clinical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical interns' and clinical assistants' demographics:
| Medical Internship | Clinical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.2% Asian, 9.7% White, 50.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |