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The differences between registered medical assistants and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a registered medical assistant, becoming a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a registered medical assistant has an average salary of $36,580, which is higher than the $36,382 average annual salary of a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant.
The top three skills for a registered medical assistant include patients, vital signs and office procedures. The most important skills for a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Registered Medical Assistant | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $36,580 | $36,382 |
| Hourly rate | $17.59 | $17.49 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 183,988 | 350,499 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 26% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 3 |
The primary job of registered medical assistants is to perform clinical and administrative tasks in a healthcare setting. They offer support services to physicians, so the latter have plenty of time to care for patients. They carry out varied administrative, clerical, and clinical tasks that include taking vital signs, filing records, and scheduling patient appointments. Other responsibilities include discussing treatment procedures to patients, interacting with patients, and collecting laboratory specimens such as tissue and blood. Ideal characteristics to become a registered medical assistant include being compassionate, can work well with people, and adaptable.
A certified medical assistant (CMA) or certified nurse assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who performs clinical and administrative duties in clinics or medical facilities. Certified medical assistants provide excellent customer service to patients arriving and departing from the medical facility and administer injections or medications to their patients. In administrative duties, certified medical assistants are tasked to help clients submit insurance claims and encode medical records to the computer system. They also can work with specialized physicians such as ophthalmologists and podiatrists.
Registered medical assistants and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Registered Medical Assistant | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Average salary | $36,580 | $36,382 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $49,000 | Between $27,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Griffin Hospital | Aya Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a registered medical assistant and a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant in terms of educational background:
| Registered Medical Assistant | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 34% | Associate Degree, 26% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between registered medical assistants' and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants' demographics:
| Registered Medical Assistant | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.2% Female, 91.8% | Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |