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The differences between nurse technicians and clinical medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-3 months to become a nurse technician, becoming a clinical medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $33,005 average annual salary of a nurse technician.
The top three skills for a nurse technician include patients, CPR and vital signs. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Nurse Technician | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,005 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $15.87 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 195,553 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 12 |
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
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.
Nurse technicians and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Technician | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $33,005 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Carondelet High School | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nurse technician and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Technician | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between nurse technicians' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Nurse Technician | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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 | 7% | 6% |