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The differences between medical specialists 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 specialist and a medical assistant externship. Additionally, a medical specialist has an average salary of $40,277, which is higher than the $35,460 average annual salary of a medical assistant externship.
The top three skills for a medical specialist include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a medical assistant externship are patients, vital signs, and EKG.
| Medical Specialist | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Yearly salary | $40,277 | $35,460 |
| Hourly rate | $19.36 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 68,607 | 172,671 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Diploma, 31% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Medical specialists are responsible for diagnosing patients and performing medical procedures according to their areas of expertise. They coordinate with the clinical team on administering medications, conducting laboratory examinations, and monitoring admitted patients, ensuring that they receive high-quality care services from the medical staff. A medical specialist also communicates with the patients' families to respond to their medical inquiries and concerns, as well as providing them with updates on the patients' progress. A medical specialist observes the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities at all times, including the inspection of medical tools and equipment for operations.
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 specialists and medical assistant externships have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Specialist | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Average salary | $40,277 | $35,460 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $75,000 | Between $23,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | Adobe | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a medical specialist and a medical assistant externship in terms of educational background:
| Medical Specialist | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Diploma, 31% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical specialists' and medical assistant externships' demographics:
| Medical Specialist | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.4% 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 Percentage | 6% | 6% |