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The differences between unit assistants and clinical medical 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 unit assistant and a clinical medical assistant. Additionally, a clinical medical assistant has an average salary of $37,052, which is higher than the $33,802 average annual salary of a unit assistant.
The top three skills for a unit assistant include patients, customer service and HIPAA. The most important skills for a clinical medical assistant are patients, patient care, and vital signs.
| Unit Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,802 | $37,052 |
| Hourly rate | $16.25 | $17.81 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 174,425 | 233,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A unit assistant is responsible for performing administrative duties within a department of a health care institution, ensuring that the patients receive the highest quality care services for their concerns and needs. Unit assistants assist the patients and the visitors, confirm their appointments, and direct them to the correct personnel or medical department. They also manage the adequacy of medical supplies and report defective equipment and machine to the maintenance for immediate repairs or replacements. A unit assistant must be highly organizational, especially on storing medical records and updating patients' information on the database.
A clinical medical assistant specializes in performing administrative and clinical tasks in a hospital or similar setting. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's information, medical history, test results, and other essential documentation, and updating patient medical records. Other tasks include reaching out to patients' families and guardians, assisting health workers with room preparation and patient care, and preparing medications and other treatments, all in adherence to a physician's directives. Furthermore, a clinical medical assistant may conduct inspections to ensure that the hospital complies with government regulations.
Unit assistants and clinical medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Unit Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $33,802 | $37,052 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $44,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Westfield, MA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | UC Santa Barbara | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a unit assistant and a clinical medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Unit Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 27% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between unit assistants' and clinical medical assistants' demographics:
| Unit Assistant | Clinical Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0% | Male, 10.8% Female, 89.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 9.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.3% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |