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The differences between senior medical assistants and medical record 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 medical record assistant. Additionally, a senior medical assistant has an average salary of $37,113, which is higher than the $34,870 average annual salary of a medical record assistant.
The top three skills for a senior medical assistant include patients, vital signs and patient care. The most important skills for a medical record assistant are patients, data entry, and HIPAA.
| Senior Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,113 | $34,870 |
| Hourly rate | $17.84 | $16.76 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 171,533 | 91,238 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 26% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 37 | 45 |
| 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 medical record assistant is responsible for the proper documentation of the patients' information and medical records for reference to the attending physician or other medical professionals. Medical record assistants also track the patient's medical treatments and progress, as well as their health insurance details and coverage. They also respond to the patient's inquiries and concerns, including scheduling physician's appointments and updating the patients for any released medical results. A medical record assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, categorizing documents, and retrieving files for medical needs.
Senior medical assistants and medical record assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,113 | $34,870 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $64,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Napa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a senior medical assistant and a medical record assistant in terms of educational background:
| Senior Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 26% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior medical assistants' and medical record assistants' demographics:
| Senior Medical Assistant | Medical Record Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.5% Female, 69.5% | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% |
| 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, 9.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 8.5% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |