Medical receptionist vs medical assistant

The differences between medical receptionists and medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical receptionist, becoming a medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, which is higher than the $31,960 average annual salary of a medical receptionist.

The top three skills for a medical receptionist include patients, customer service and check-in. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.

Medical receptionist vs medical assistant overview

	Medical Receptionist	Medical Assistant
Yearly salary	$31,960	$34,900
Hourly rate	$15.37	$16.78
Growth rate	-8%	16%
Number of jobs	118,048	189,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 24%
Average age	49	37
Years of experience	2	12

What does a medical receptionist do?

Medical receptionists are responsible for manning the front desk at a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. They manage schedules and appointments in the clinic or hospital. They help patients to their respective appointments. They also assist doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners by ensuring that the schedule for the day is being followed. They are also in charge of assisting visitors by directing them wherever they would need to go. Medical receptionists also answer inquiries by patients or visitors. Medical knowledge, great customer service skills, and a friendly attitude are needed.

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 receptionist vs medical assistant salary

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

	Medical Receptionist	Medical Assistant
Average salary	$31,960	$34,900
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Alaska
Best paying company	CENTER FOR SIGHT	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical receptionist and medical assistant education

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

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

Medical receptionist vs medical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between medical receptionists' and medical assistants' demographics:

	Medical Receptionist	Medical Assistant
Average age	49	37
Gender ratio	Male, 5.2% Female, 94.8%	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	9%	6%

Differences between medical receptionist and medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical receptionist example responsibilities.

Conduct analysis to address long wait times which lead to faster triage, shorter wait times.
Evaluate all EOB's to insure accurate payment is received and when necessary will file appeals to achieve optimal payments.
Greet and check-in patients, including obtaining accurate patient demographic information, patient registration, and checking insurance eligibility.
Learned and operate chiropractic equipment (decompression; Leander) & x-rays; enabling Dr to have more time for patients.
Resolve concerns of terminally ill patients with compassion and professionalism.
Identify patients' specific scheduling requirements while demonstrating care and compassion via telephone.

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 receptionist vs medical assistant skills

Common medical receptionist skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 9%
Check-In, 6%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Front Desk, 4%

Common medical assistant skills

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

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Medical Receptionist
Medical Receptionist vs Medical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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