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The differences between pathologist assistants and medical assistant externships 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 medical assistant externship. Additionally, a pathologist assistant has an average salary of $50,079, which is higher than the $35,460 average annual salary of a medical assistant externship.
The top three skills for a pathologist assistant include ASCP, patients and PA. The most important skills for a medical assistant externship are patients, vital signs, and EKG.
| Pathologist Assistant | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Yearly salary | $50,079 | $35,460 |
| Hourly rate | $24.08 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 62,900 | 172,671 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Diploma, 31% |
| 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.
Medical assistant externs are medical school students who took the opportunity to get on-the-job training at a medical facility, usually a hospital. They spend a set amount of time in the facility. Medical assistant externs do job shadowing. They join their mentors, who are usually doctors or other health professionals, in their daily activities. Unlike usual on-the-job trainees, medical assistant externs do not really work on administrative activities. Instead, they are given the opportunity to truly be exposed to the actual work in a medical facility. They experience talking to patients and their families, performing basic medical tasks under the supervision of a doctor, and interpreting laboratory results with their mentors.
Pathologist assistants and medical assistant externships have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pathologist Assistant | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Average salary | $50,079 | $35,460 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $101,000 | Between $23,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | Essentia Health | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a pathologist assistant and a medical assistant externship in terms of educational background:
| Pathologist Assistant | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Diploma, 31% |
| Most common major | Biology | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between pathologist assistants' and medical assistant externships' demographics:
| Pathologist Assistant | Medical Assistant Externship | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.4% Female, 60.6% | Male, 15.3% Female, 84.7% |
| 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, 9.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.9% Asian, 9.3% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |