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The differences between nurse technicians and 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 medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, 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 medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Nurse Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,005 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $15.87 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 195,553 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| 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.
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.
Nurse technicians and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $33,005 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Carondelet High School | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nurse technician and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between nurse technicians' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Nurse Technician | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| 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, 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 | 7% | 6% |