Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between pathologist assistants and clinical medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a pathologist assistant and a clinical medical assistant. Additionally, a pathologist assistant has an average salary of $50,079, which is higher than the $37,052 average annual salary of a clinical medical assistant.
The top three skills for a pathologist assistant include ASCP, patients and PA. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Pathologist Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,079 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $24.08 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 62,900 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A pathologist assistant is responsible for helping pathologists in conducting laboratory investigations by studying human specimens and surgical biopsies for diagnosis and identify a person's cause of death. Pathologist assistants perform autopsy functions under the supervision of the pathologist, following the strict safety protocols and regulations. They must have excellent organizational skills, especially in operating various equipment to prevent potential hazards and disease contamination. A pathologist assistant creates a comprehensive report of findings for the pathologist's review before releasing the final records.
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.
Pathologist assistants and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pathologist Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,079 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $101,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Essentia Health | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a pathologist assistant and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Pathologist Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Biology | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between pathologist assistants' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Pathologist Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.4% Female, 60.6% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 6% | 6% |