Telemetry technician vs medical assistant

The differences between telemetry technicians and medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a telemetry technician, becoming a medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a telemetry technician has an average salary of $35,758, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.

The top three skills for a telemetry technician include patients, EKG and patient care. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.

Telemetry technician vs medical assistant overview

	Telemetry Technician	Medical Assistant
Yearly salary	$35,758	$34,900
Hourly rate	$17.19	$16.78
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	63,712	189,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 24%
Average age	45	37
Years of experience	2	12

What does a telemetry technician do?

A telemetry technician is responsible for operating the telemetry machine to identify patients' heart rates and rhythms. Telemetry technicians monitor the patients' heart condition by attaching medical equipment to the patients' chest and record findings for the doctor's reference. They also assist with related medical operations and treatment procedures and discuss the processes with the patient. A telemetry technician must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in sorting clients' records and medical treatment plans.

What does a medical assistant do?

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.

Telemetry technician vs medical assistant salary

Telemetry technicians and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Telemetry Technician	Medical Assistant
Average salary	$35,758	$34,900
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $44,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between telemetry technician and medical assistant education

There are a few differences between a telemetry technician and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:

	Telemetry Technician	Medical Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 24%
Most common major	Nursing	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	Emory University	-

Telemetry technician vs medical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between telemetry technicians' and medical assistants' demographics:

	Telemetry Technician	Medical Assistant
Average age	45	37
Gender ratio	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	8%	6%

Differences between telemetry technician and medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Telemetry technician example responsibilities.

Observe patients being monitor while in the ICU and the Med/Surge unit and reporting any abnormal findings to the RN.
Monitor patients and administer EKG.
Utilize varied medical equipment including telemetry monitors, vital sign monitors and lifting equipment to care for patients.
Provide continuous observation of monitor ECG rhythms for patients on telemetry and report pertinent information to appropriate nursing personnel.
Pass instruments, sponges, and suture to surgical team.
Assist in code situations by providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Medical assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Participate in emergency surgical intervention in obstetrics and gynecology patients.
Demonstrate proficiency in taking patient history and vitals, venipuncture, injections, urinalysis and preparing examination trays.
Attend to new out patients in gynecology clinic, make clinical diagnosis and follow up.
Provide RMA support to physician, and patients, including but not limit to vitals and patient history.

Telemetry technician vs medical assistant skills

Common telemetry technician skills

Patients, 26%
EKG, 15%
Patient Care, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Rhythm Interpretation, 4%
ICU, 4%

Common medical assistant skills

Patients, 20%
Vital Signs, 10%
Patient Care, 9%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%
EKG, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Telemetry Technician
Telemetry Technician vs Medical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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