Medical office administrative assistant vs medical assistant

The differences between medical office administrative assistants 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 office administrative assistant and a medical assistant. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, 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 medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.

Medical office administrative assistant vs medical assistant overview

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,856	$34,900
Hourly rate	$16.28	$16.78
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	136,278	189,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 24%
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 medical assistant do?

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 office administrative assistant vs medical assistant salary

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

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Assistant
Average salary	$33,856	$34,900
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and medical assistant education

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

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 24%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	-	-

Medical office administrative assistant vs medical assistant demographics

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

	Medical Office Administrative Assistant	Medical Assistant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%
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, 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%

Differences between medical office administrative assistant and 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.

Medical assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Participate in emergency surgical intervention in obstetrics and gynecology patients.
Demonstrate proficiency in taking patient history and vitals, venipuncture, injections, urinalysis and preparing examination trays.
Attend to new out patients in gynecology clinic, make clinical diagnosis and follow up.
Provide RMA support to physician, and patients, including but not limit to vitals and patient history.

Medical office administrative assistant vs 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 medical assistant skills

Patients, 20%
Vital Signs, 10%
Patient Care, 9%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%
EKG, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Medical Office Administrative Assistant
Medical Office Administrative Assistant vs Medical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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