Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical medical assistant

The differences between medical office administrative assistants and clinical 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 office administrative assistant and a clinical medical assistant. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $33,856 average annual salary of a medical office administrative assistant.

The top three skills for a medical office administrative assistant include patients, CPT and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical medical assistant overview

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Medical Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,856	$37,052
Hourly rate	$16.28	$17.81
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	136,278	233,464
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 27%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical office administrative assistant do?

Medical Office Administrative Assistants are responsible for providing administrative support to a medical facility. Their duties include documenting case histories through patient interviews, updating patient health records, scheduling appointments, processing insurance claims adhering to legal regulations, assisting patient paperwork, and managing receivables and payables accounts. They also attend to patient inquiries and assist nurses and doctors with test scheduling, supplies ordering, and medical examinations. Medical Office Administrative Assistants use medical software to process transactions and keep abreast with changes in insurance and medical legislation.

What does a clinical medical assistant do?

A clinical medical assistant specializes in performing administrative and clinical tasks in a hospital or similar setting. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's information, medical history, test results, and other essential documentation, and updating patient medical records. Other tasks include reaching out to patients' families and guardians, assisting health workers with room preparation and patient care, and preparing medications and other treatments, all in adherence to a physician's directives. Furthermore, a clinical medical assistant may conduct inspections to ensure that the hospital complies with government regulations.

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical medical assistant salary

Medical office administrative assistants and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Medical Assistant
Average salary	$33,856	$37,052
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $29,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	-	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and clinical medical assistant education

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

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Medical Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 27%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	-	-

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical medical assistant demographics

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

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Clinical Medical Assistant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%	Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 9.3% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.3% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and clinical medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical office administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files according to HIPAA regulations, and implement log books to automate patient records management.
Provide front and back office support for surgeons by administratively managing and monitoring patients.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Prepare employee schedules, assist with patient triage, assist with cosmetic and medical procedures as needed.
Verify and process patient insurance coverage and handle tasks relate to insurance information of patients.
Recommend and/or initiate patient management in cases of acute distress with medications, laboratory orders and initiation of CPR when necessary.

Clinical medical assistant example responsibilities.

Obtain vital signs, calculate body mass indexes, administer intramuscular injections, administer venipuncture on patients using aseptic technique.
Treat patients and coworkers with dignity, respect and compassion.
Obtain EKG's and vitals along with medical history, family history, current medications and chief complaints.
Present data in a Powerpoint presentation in mentoring professor's classes.
Process super-bills for submission to CPR billing, and daily bank deposits.
Order new equipment and work with word, excel, and PowerPoint.

Medical office administrative assistant vs clinical medical assistant skills

Common medical office administrative assistant skills

Patients, 32%
CPT, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Patient Appointments, 4%
Phone Calls, 4%
Insurance Verification, 4%

Common clinical medical assistant skills

Patients, 19%
Patient Care, 12%
Vital Signs, 10%
CPR, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Medical Assistants, 4%

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Medical Office Administrative Assistant
Medical Office Administrative Assistant vs Clinical Medical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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