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The differences between physician specialists and medical support assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a physician specialist and a medical support assistant. Additionally, a physician specialist has an average salary of $210,219, which is higher than the $35,390 average annual salary of a medical support assistant.
The top three skills for a physician specialist include patients, patient care and surgery. The most important skills for a medical support assistant are patients, patient care, and advanced life support.
| Physician Specialist | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $210,219 | $35,390 |
| Hourly rate | $101.07 | $17.01 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 63,020 | 190,633 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Physician Specialist is a doctor who specializes in a particular field of medicine, such as pediatrics, urology, psychiatry, and more. Their responsibilities revolve around studying the patients' medical history, conducting assessments and evaluations, developing care and treatment plans, prescribing medication, and helping patients understand their conditions and symptoms. In some cases, a Physician Specialist may recommend patients to undergo surgeries and other procedures. Moreover, aside from treating and diagnosing medical conditions, a Physician Specialist maintains an active communication line with nurses and technicians for a smooth and efficient workflow.
A medical support assistant job is mainly in health care services, such as hospitals, medical clinics, and private doctors who perform administrative duties and organizing schedules and records. They work together with patients' physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel. Assistants can directly work with patients and call insurance firms on their behalf to inquire about insurance coverage. Medical support assistants encode data on a computer regarding patients' medications, treatment, and lab test results.
Physician specialists and medical support assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Physician Specialist | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Average salary | $210,219 | $35,390 |
| Salary range | Between $111,000 And $396,000 | Between $28,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bradenton, FL | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Saint Luke's Health System | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a physician specialist and a medical support assistant in terms of educational background:
| Physician Specialist | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between physician specialists' and medical support assistants' demographics:
| Physician Specialist | Medical Support Assistant | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |