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The differences between public health assistants and 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 public health assistant and a medical assistant. Additionally, a public health assistant has an average salary of $38,433, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.
The top three skills for a public health assistant include NYC, school health and patients. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Public Health Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,433 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $18.48 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 105,104 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Public Health Assistants will require good communication, teamwork, initiative, interpersonal, problem-solving, and analytical skills for this career choice, as well as a strong work ethic and the ability to be flexible and adaptable. Applicants can expect a payout of around $34K per year in this career choice, which will also require a diploma or GED, plus a master's degree in public health, after which they will be required to improve individual and societal health by monitoring healthy lifestyles, as well as practice preventative measures for injuries and disease and controlling infectious diseases. Their health concerns range from small communities to the entire planet.
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.
Public health assistants and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Health Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,433 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $54,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Emory Healthcare | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a public health assistant and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Public Health Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between public health assistants' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Public Health Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.6% Female, 78.4% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 9.3% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 6% | 6% |