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Medical laboratory technician assistant vs medical assistant externship

The differences between medical laboratory technician assistants and medical assistant externships 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 laboratory technician assistant and a medical assistant externship. Additionally, a medical laboratory technician assistant has an average salary of $36,484, which is higher than the $35,460 average annual salary of a medical assistant externship.

The top three skills for a medical laboratory technician assistant include phlebotomy, patients and lab tech. The most important skills for a medical assistant externship are patients, vital signs, and EKG.

Medical laboratory technician assistant vs medical assistant externship overview

Medical Laboratory Technician AssistantMedical Assistant Externship
Yearly salary$36,484$35,460
Hourly rate$17.54$17.05
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs128,758172,671
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 30%Diploma, 31%
Average age3737
Years of experience1212

What does a medical laboratory technician assistant do?

A Medical Laboratory Technician Assistant provides information for patient diagnosis and treatment. They work under the supervision of a medical technologist or physician.

What does a medical assistant externship do?

Medical assistant externs are medical school students who took the opportunity to get on-the-job training at a medical facility, usually a hospital. They spend a set amount of time in the facility. Medical assistant externs do job shadowing. They join their mentors, who are usually doctors or other health professionals, in their daily activities. Unlike usual on-the-job trainees, medical assistant externs do not really work on administrative activities. Instead, they are given the opportunity to truly be exposed to the actual work in a medical facility. They experience talking to patients and their families, performing basic medical tasks under the supervision of a doctor, and interpreting laboratory results with their mentors.

Medical laboratory technician assistant vs medical assistant externship salary

Medical laboratory technician assistants and medical assistant externships have different pay scales, as shown below.

Medical Laboratory Technician AssistantMedical Assistant Externship
Average salary$36,484$35,460
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $50,000Between $23,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between medical laboratory technician assistant and medical assistant externship education

There are a few differences between a medical laboratory technician assistant and a medical assistant externship in terms of educational background:

Medical Laboratory Technician AssistantMedical Assistant Externship
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 30%Diploma, 31%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesMedical Assisting Services
Most common college--

Medical laboratory technician assistant vs medical assistant externship demographics

Here are the differences between medical laboratory technician assistants' and medical assistant externships' demographics:

Medical Laboratory Technician AssistantMedical Assistant Externship
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 17.8% Female, 82.2%Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.9% Asian, 9.3% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between medical laboratory technician assistant and medical assistant externship duties and responsibilities

Medical laboratory technician assistant example responsibilities.

  • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
  • Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
  • Perform all protocol specific regulatory duties from initial submission to IRB to final study close-out.

Medical assistant externship example responsibilities.

  • Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
  • Perform various clinical duties, such as vital signs, EKG's, urinalysis, PFT's, and rooming/interviewing patients.
  • Interview patients during check-in/check-out procedures to obtain their medical information following HIPAA standards.
  • Perform EKG, pregnancy test, vision & hearing examinations, as well as analyzed and document controls for urinalysis.
  • Back office duties including taking patients vitals, CLIA waive testing, and assisting the doctor and nurse practitioner as needed.
  • Assist podiatrists with patients suffering from complications relate to diabetes or obesity.
  • Show more

Medical laboratory technician assistant vs medical assistant externship skills

Common medical laboratory technician assistant skills
  • Phlebotomy, 14%
  • Patients, 13%
  • Lab Tech, 7%
  • EKG, 6%
  • Vital Signs, 6%
  • Surgical Procedures, 5%
Common medical assistant externship skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • Vital Signs, 13%
  • EKG, 8%
  • Office Procedures, 7%
  • Exam Rooms, 6%
  • Laboratory Specimens, 3%

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