Medical scribe vs physician assistant

The differences between medical scribes and physician assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physician assistant has an average salary of $118,812, which is higher than the $30,045 average annual salary of a medical scribe.

The top three skills for a medical scribe include patients, medical terminology and excellent organizational. The most important skills for a physician assistant are patients, diagnostic tests, and surgery.

Medical scribe vs physician assistant overview

	Medical Scribe	Physician Assistant
Yearly salary	$30,045	$118,812
Hourly rate	$14.44	$57.12
Growth rate	16%	28%
Number of jobs	80,035	39,752
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	37	39
Years of experience	12	-

What does a medical scribe do?

As a medical scribe, their main responsibility is to follow a physician's daily work and do charting of patient encounters in real-time by accessing their medical electronic health record (EHR). It is their duty to make sure the patient schedules are followed, generate referral letters for physicians and manage and sort medical documents within the EHR. Medical scribes can be held as data custodians, medical assistants, and nurses to focus on patient in-take and care throughout clinic hours. In addition, they manage patient flow through the clinic and increase productivity to cater to more patients.

What does a physician assistant do?

The physician assistant, also known as "PA," is now considered a key player to any healthcare team. Physician assistants are health care professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of licensed physicians. They work on several areas of medicine, from primary care to emergency service and even psychiatry. Neither they are a doctor nor a physician, but their job profile showcases many of these responsibilities. More than as assistants to the doctors, they are also equipped to examine, diagnose, and develop treatment strategies for patients.

Medical scribe vs physician assistant salary

Medical scribes and physician assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Scribe	Physician Assistant
Average salary	$30,045	$118,812
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	Between $70,000 And $201,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Vermont
Best paying company	Boston Medical Center	Marshall University
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between medical scribe and physician assistant education

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

	Medical Scribe	Physician Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Biology	Physician Assistant
Most common college	-	Duke University

Medical scribe vs physician assistant demographics

Here are the differences between medical scribes' and physician assistants' demographics:

	Medical Scribe	Physician Assistant
Average age	37	39
Gender ratio	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%	Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 9.7% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	12%

Differences between medical scribe and physician assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical scribe example responsibilities.

Manage sensitive and confidential materials such as patient health records following HIPAA regulations.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Rotate in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedic surgery, and burn medicine departments
Transcribe patient orders including laboratory tests results, radiology test findings, medications, allergies.
Utilize PC and LIS to enter and retrieve patient data, includes verifying orders and retrieving results using HIPAA compliance.
Perform Phlebotomy procedures on patients.

Physician assistant example responsibilities.

Manage a variety of acute and chronic conditions especially asthma, allergies, injuries, and infectious diseases.
Manage chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, ASCVD, chronic back and joint pains, depression, and anxiety.
Manage patient surgical care throughout the continuum of care from pre-op, to discharge planning, including ambulatory and hospital in-patients.
Attain pertinent history & physicals for obstetrics and gynecological acute and preventative visits.
Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Aid in the acute management of trauma patients including obtaining appropriate studies, suturing, and CPR.

Medical scribe vs physician assistant skills

Common medical scribe skills

Patients, 18%
Medical Terminology, 17%
Excellent Organizational, 10%
Physician Assistants, 8%
Emergency Medicine, 6%
HIPAA, 4%

Common physician assistant skills

Patients, 29%
Diagnostic Tests, 6%
Surgery, 5%
Primary Care, 5%
Urgent Care, 4%
CPR, 3%

Medical Scribe vs. similar jobs

Medical Scribe related careers

Medical Scribe related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Medical Scribe
Medical Scribe vs Physician Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare support jobs