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The differences between surgical assistants and medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a surgical assistant has an average salary of $52,170, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.
The top three skills for a surgical assistant include patients, surgical procedures and patient care. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Surgical Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,170 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $25.08 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 28,138 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Average age | 43 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A Surgical Assistant provides assistance during an operation by performing a wide range of crucial tasks. They cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field and adjust and maintain operating room parameters according to the surgeon's specifications.
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.
Surgical assistants and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Surgical Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $52,170 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $76,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Baptist Health Care | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a surgical assistant and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Surgical Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between surgical assistants' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Surgical Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.7% Female, 79.3% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 9.1% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 10% | 6% |