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The differences between unit assistants and 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 medical assistant. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, 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 medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Unit Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $33,802 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $16.25 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 174,425 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| 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.
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.
Unit assistants and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Unit Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $33,802 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $44,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Westfield, MA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | UC Santa Barbara | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a unit assistant and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Unit Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between unit assistants' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Unit Assistant | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| 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, 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 | 6% | 6% |