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The differences between medical support assistants and desk clerks supervisors 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 support assistant, becoming a support staff takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a medical support assistant has an average salary of $35,390, which is higher than the $31,772 average annual salary of a support staff.
The top three skills for a medical support assistant include patients, patient care and advanced life support. The most important skills for a support staff are customer service, developmental disabilities, and mental health.
| Medical Support Assistant | Support Staff | |
| Yearly salary | $35,390 | $31,772 |
| Hourly rate | $17.01 | $15.28 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 190,633 | 161,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
A medical support assistant job is mainly in health care services, such as hospitals, medical clinics, and private doctors who perform administrative duties and organizing schedules and records. They work together with patients' physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel. Assistants can directly work with patients and call insurance firms on their behalf to inquire about insurance coverage. Medical support assistants encode data on a computer regarding patients' medications, treatment, and lab test results.
School support staff provide specialized instructional and student support while utilizing school facilities. They often include diverse staff members whose main role is to ensure that students learn in a supportive and safe learning environment. It is also their duty to enhance school climate by promoting the involvement of parent and family in education as well as to encourage trusting, positive student relationships. They should inhibit positive behavior and send uplifting messages to students as they often connect with them throughout the day.
Medical support assistants and desk clerks supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Support Assistant | Support Staff | |
| Average salary | $35,390 | $31,772 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $44,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Lakeland Electric |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a medical support assistant and a support staff in terms of educational background:
| Medical Support Assistant | Support Staff | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Duke University |
Here are the differences between medical support assistants' and desk clerks supervisors' demographics:
| Medical Support Assistant | Support Staff | |
| Average age | 49 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8% |
| 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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 6.2% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |