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The differences between senior medical assistants and clinical 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 senior medical assistant and a clinical assistant. Additionally, a senior medical assistant has an average salary of $37,113, which is higher than the $30,215 average annual salary of a clinical assistant.
The top three skills for a senior medical assistant include patients, vital signs and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical assistant are patients, customer service, and PET.
| Senior Medical Assistant | Clinical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,113 | $30,215 |
| Hourly rate | $17.84 | $14.53 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 171,533 | 101,926 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 26% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A senior medical assistant performs support tasks for physicians, nurses, and managers in a medical facility to ensure that patients get to receive optimal care and services. In general, they are responsible for handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, verifying patient information, liaising with external parties such as insurance providers, monitoring the inventory of medical supplies, and performing regular maintenance checks. Moreover, they must assist patients by answering inquiries, helping them in filling out forms, and making them feel comfortable throughout the procedures.
A clinical assistant is responsible for assisting medical professionals with medical procedures and ensure a high level of patient care. Clinical assistants perform minor clinic procedures such as taking patients' temperature, sterilizing medical equipment, proper dumping of disposable items, responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, processing payments, arranging appointment schedules, and maintaining an organized record of patients' information, such as their medical history and health insurance records. A clinical assistant must strictly adhere to sanitary and hygienic procedures at all times to promote a safe and clean environment for the patients.
Senior medical assistants and clinical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Medical Assistant | Clinical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,113 | $30,215 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $64,000 | Between $13,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Brockton, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a senior medical assistant and a clinical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Senior Medical Assistant | Clinical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 26% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between senior medical assistants' and clinical assistants' demographics:
| Senior Medical Assistant | Clinical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% | Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 9.2% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |