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The differences between medical transcriptionists and clinical medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical transcriptionist has an average salary of $38,725, which is higher than the $37,052 average annual salary of a clinical medical assistant.
The top three skills for a medical transcriptionist include transcription, dictation and discharge summaries. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Medical Transcriptionist | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,725 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $18.62 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 78,292 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 41 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A Medical Transcriptionist is responsible for accurately transcribing audio records from Physicians and other health workers as part of a patient's medical history or other necessary documentation. Most of the time, a Medical Transcriptionist must sign non-disclosure agreements as the majority of the information relayed are personal and confidential. Furthermore, they must be meticulous in detecting inconsistencies and errors, translating or converting the information gathered into various medical documents, performing edits and revision, and following up any missing detail.
A clinical medical assistant specializes in performing administrative and clinical tasks in a hospital or similar setting. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's information, medical history, test results, and other essential documentation, and updating patient medical records. Other tasks include reaching out to patients' families and guardians, assisting health workers with room preparation and patient care, and preparing medications and other treatments, all in adherence to a physician's directives. Furthermore, a clinical medical assistant may conduct inspections to ensure that the hospital complies with government regulations.
Medical transcriptionists and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Transcriptionist | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,725 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $47,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | White Plains Hospital | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical transcriptionist and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Transcriptionist | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Health Care Administration | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between medical transcriptionists' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Medical Transcriptionist | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 41 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.3% Female, 93.7% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.3% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |