What's the Difference Between a Nurse and a Medical Assistant? Nurses and medical assistants have quite similar job duties and responsibilities. However, this does not mean they are the same profession. These are two very different professions with only a few similarities. A medical assistant is an allied health professional that usually supports physicians and other health practitioners in a clinic setting. Nursing focuses on the care of individual families and communities to assure the optimal quality of life and health. They both have very different purposes but are still in charge of taking care of patients. Differences ● Education There is a huge difference when it comes to education for nursing and medical assisting. o Nurse: ▪
Nursing requires a minimum of an Associate Degree, but some will go with a Bachelor's. This can take up to four years and comes along with a hefty price tag.
o Medical Assistant ▪
No minimum legal level of education is required for ME work. Most do prefer certification, however, and that can take up to 12 months of studying.
● Work Hours Working in medicine requires a lot of hours, regardless of what kind of work you do. o Nurse: ▪
Working at hospitals or large clinics means that patients have short visits or even stay overnight. Lots of shift and on-call work is standard for RN's.
o Medical Assistant: ▪
ME's usually work in smaller practices and clinics. This means that they have short visits with patients with fewer hours, allowing them even to work a regular day job.
● Responsibilities The responsibilities that each profession has overlap slightly. However, there are more differences than similarities, making it necessary to know the difference. o Nurse: ▪
Paperwork is the main thing that nurses have to do more than medical assistants. ● Administer medications, injections, and treatments ● Consult with doctors and other healthcare professionals ● Help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results ● Operate and monitor medical equipment ● Record patient medical histories ● Create patient care plans ● Patient observation and result recording ● Counsel patients on managing conditions ● Providing guidance on post-treatment care at home
o Medical Assistant: ▪
Administer medication and injections
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Answer directly to doctors
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Help with diagnostic tests where qualified
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Operate medical equipment
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Take basic patient information
● Salary According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the median wages for both occupations are as follows. o Nurse: ▪
$64,690 per year
o Medical Assistant: ▪
$28,860 per year
Nursing and being a medical assistant are more different than you might realize. These differences are significant due to the different job duties and other factors. However, they are both commendable professions that play a part in patient health care.
Although nurses tend to have more responsibility and liability than medical assistants, ME's work under doctors who take most of the liability, so they have much less responsibility than nurses. Either way, nursing and medical assistance are both skilled professions that can be very rewarding. Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter