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The differences between student medical assistants and optometric 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 student medical assistant and an optometric assistant. Additionally, an optometric assistant has an average salary of $98,734, which is higher than the $37,781 average annual salary of a student medical assistant.
The top three skills for a student medical assistant include patients, vital signs and laboratory specimens. The most important skills for an optometric assistant are patients, appointment scheduling, and customer service.
| Student Medical Assistant | Optometric Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,781 | $98,734 |
| Hourly rate | $18.16 | $47.47 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 181,396 | 142,550 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
It is evident that the student medical assistant does work for the administration and clinical expertise. One must know that they are known as medical analysts and devote themselves to addressing the problem of patients and medical assistants.
An optometric assistant performs a variety of support tasks to assist optometrists and maintain a smooth flow of operations at clinics. They typically greet clients and identify their eye and vision care needs, answer inquiries, gather patient histories and other information, prepare and assist the clients for vision tests, and administer eye drops. They may also perform clerical tasks such as processing documents, organizing files, handling calls and correspondence, liaising with external partners such as suppliers and vendors, and updating databases. Moreover, an optometric assistant may also adjust and repair glasses, all according to the clients' needs.
Student medical assistants and optometric assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Medical Assistant | Optometric Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,781 | $98,734 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $66,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | QPS |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a student medical assistant and an optometric assistant in terms of educational background:
| Student Medical Assistant | Optometric Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between student medical assistants' and optometric assistants' demographics:
| Student Medical Assistant | Optometric Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9% | Male, 9.6% Female, 90.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.4% Asian, 9.2% White, 50.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 9.8% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |