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The differences between medical interns and medical 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 medical assistant. Additionally, a medical internship has an average salary of $50,843, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.
The top three skills for a medical internship include patients, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Medical Internship | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,843 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $24.44 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 127,692 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| 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.
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 interns and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Internship | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,843 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $77,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical internship and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Internship | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical interns' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Medical Internship | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| 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, 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 | 6% | 6% |