Medical transcriptionist vs medical assistant

The differences between medical transcriptionists and 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 $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.

The top three skills for a medical transcriptionist include transcription, dictation and discharge summaries. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.

Medical transcriptionist vs medical assistant overview

	Medical Transcriptionist	Medical Assistant
Yearly salary	$38,725	$34,900
Hourly rate	$18.62	$16.78
Growth rate	-7%	16%
Number of jobs	78,292	189,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 24%
Average age	41	37
Years of experience	-	12

What does a medical transcriptionist do?

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.

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 transcriptionist vs medical assistant salary

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

	Medical Transcriptionist	Medical Assistant
Average salary	$38,725	$34,900
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $47,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	White Plains Hospital	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical transcriptionist and medical assistant education

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

	Medical Transcriptionist	Medical Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 24%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	-	-

Medical transcriptionist vs medical assistant demographics

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

	Medical Transcriptionist	Medical Assistant
Average age	41	37
Gender ratio	Male, 6.3% Female, 93.7%	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%
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, 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 transcriptionist and medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Medical transcriptionist example responsibilities.

Manage audits using transcribe reports with preoperative and postoperative documentation within the EMR.
Experience in radiology, cardiology, orthopedics, physical therapy, pediatrics, surgery and family practice medical terminology.
Transcribe dictation from various specialty providers at the hospital including orthopedics, urology, podiatry, ophthalmology, and pain management.
Transcribe radiology reports, including MRIs, CTs, nuclear medicine and vascular reports in a high-production, acute care setting.
Maintain medical record integrity by interpreting, editing and transcribing dictation for multiple physicians and nurse practitioners.
Prepare medical documentation from dictation - specializing in the areas of general surgery, orthopedics, plastic/oral surgery

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 transcriptionist vs medical assistant skills

Common medical transcriptionist skills

Transcription, 16%
Dictation, 10%
Discharge Summaries, 8%
Patient Histories, 5%
Medical Reports, 5%
Patient Care, 3%

Common medical assistant skills

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

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Medical Transcriptionist vs Medical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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