What is the Difference Between a Medical Assistant and a Nursing Assistant?

The two most promising stepping stones into the world of medicine, super swift and secure, Medical Assistant or Nursing Assistant is what many young aspirants today envision of becoming. Statistics display an insane amount of growth in jobs across both domains with stable, well-payed, and demanded career paths. However, these two career streams remain yet a little puzzling for those at the outset. Which one to chose and how to pursue further often is not known and is a point of confusion.

To break through the ambiguity surrounding the medical and nursing assisting professions, we bring you key features of each and their main point of distinctions. It will help you decide whether these streams are right for you and which of the two would be your perfect fit.

What is a Medical Assistant?

Medical assistants or MAs assist doctors, physicians, and surgeons across a range of working environments such as ambulatory services, hospitals, private clinics, and retirement centers. Their scope of work is so varied that their expertise ranges across both clinical and administrative tasks. While one day a medical assistant may be drawing blood in a clinical setting, on the second day, he or she may be filing medical insurances and coding data.

What is a Nursing Assistant (CNA)?

Nursing assistants report to a licensed registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN). CNAs are entrusted with daily patient care duties. They act as the link between nurses and patients. Many of the diseased or ill cannot do day to day chores on their own, CNAs help those dependent patients conduct their daily routine tasks such as nutrition, hygiene, bathing, and moving around. They’re also called nursing aides and are mostly concerned with patient-centric assistance in hospitals, nursing facilities, patient’s home premises, or living assistance center.

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Education Difference

One of the topmost benefits of pursuing these two professions is that a traditional 4-year university course (and an insane amount of finances for the same) are not needed for either stream. More specific educational requirements are enlisted below for each.

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Certification Requirements

Like in any other profession, specific credentials are associated with both MAs and CNAs. Certifying bodies render these after successfully passing licensing exams. Read on for more specific licensure information:

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Job Duties

MA Duties and Responsibilities

Medical assistant duties include shifting between clinical services and administrative functions that are important for ensuring the smooth running of the medical establishment and office. Thus, MA duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Preparing blood samples for lab testing
• Preparing examination rooms
• Conducting EKGs
• Recording vital signs of patients
• Scheduling appointments
• Electronic Health Recording (EHR)
• Stocking of supplies and inventory management
• Reception tasks and attending telephonic inquiries
• Billing and insurance handling
• Showing patient’s their way around the establishment
• Recording the patient’s family history and keeping the records updated

CNA Duties and Responsibilities

A certified nursing assistant is working in direct touch with the patients most of the time. The key focus area for CNAs is the primary patient care duties across hospitals or nursing homes. Thus, less of the more technical medical functions that are traditionally carried out by nurses, but more focus on helping out the patient in need. Their specific tasks and responsibilities can include:

• Helping patients get dressed
• Patient bathing or showering activities as the ill and diseased might find it difficult to carry out essential daily hygiene
• Helping patients navigate, for instance, shifting them from the wheelchair to the bed and vice versa
• Addressing the concerns that the patients they’re looking after have to the nurses, they’re appointed under
• Check for the patients’ vital signs such as temperature, etc. and record the same
• CNAs, on the whole, carry out ADLS, i.e., activities of daily living assistance
• CNAs also carry out home health assistance when required

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Skills Requirements

Since the scope of duties of an MA and CNA differ, the respective competencies and skillsets needed for each are also distinct.

Medical Assistant Skills

Since MAs have to carry out more technical work across both admin and clinical domains, their skill sets include specific expertise on specialized tasks. The kind of skills that MAs need to account for before seeking employment are:

• EHR skills (medical assistants today are required to possess electronic health recording management knowledge and experience)
• The technical expertise of rendering vaccinations and injection to patients
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills
• Tech Skills of operating complex appointment scheduling software
• Skills in conducting electrocardiograms
• Basic pharmacology skills as they might be refilling doses as prescribed by the licensed physicians they report to
• Digital literacy skills are sought out as the medical landscape is increasingly becoming tech-oriented
• Adept computer literacy is a must
• Basic accounting, bookkeeping, and insurance filling capabilities are also mandatory in most cases
• A fast typing speed (often the words per minute are mentioned by the employer or certification body)
• Accurate data entry skills and good telephonic courtesy

CNA Skills

Certified nursing assistants focus on patient-centric tasks and less on technical areas. The skills that CNAs usually are required to possess by most prospective employing establishments include:

• Vital sign assessment: Skills to accurately measure the vital signs of patients. CNAs should know, for instance, how to operate a blood pressure machine and assess the right figure. They are required to understand how to record the patient’s temperature, pulse, and respiratory counts.
• Positioning skills: CNAs should know how to position the patient most aptly for the task at hand. They need to be aware of the different position options and their suitability (supine, prone, lateral, Sim’s, and Fowler’s).
• Feeding skills: CNAs work directly with patients to help them cover their daily activities. Many of the patients are not able to nutrition themselves. In such cases, CNAs need to have the right qualities of positioning themselves appropriately so that they can feed the patient and also record food and fluid intakes.
• Hand, foot and nail care: Dependent patients are at the disposal of CNAs to display hygiene maintenance skills
• Gait belt skills: CNAs are required to help patients stand up and move around using gait belts and other techniques
• Toileting assistance: These professionals should possess skills to bedpan patients when needed and keep them clean under all circumstances
• Interpersonal skills under exceptional cases too, such as communication skills across patients that face difficulties in hearing or speaking, explaining families and the patient about the treatment and prevention procedures, and making them feel at ease, and helping patients suffering from memory loss and confusion.

These skills above are a snapshot of what is required both from MAs and CNAs.

In general, as you must have learned, medical assistants require more technical, analytical, and detail-oriented skills for constructing charts and carrying out tests with utmost accuracy to equip nothing but the right diagnosis. Excellent motor skills are also sought out from MAs as they work with delicate medical equipment that requires good hand-eye coordination. They need to possess more tech-savvy software and computer-related competencies too. They should also have an understanding of finance, medical insurances, and data coding.

On the other hand, the critical competencies for CNAs are communication skills, patient-centric empathy, and a deep understanding of the day to day issues being faced by those dependent on them. CNAs, in addition to particular hygiene and infection control technical skills, have to demonstrate considerable physical stamina to hold up the patients and adequately provide physical care when required. The number one skill, of course, is to be able to communicate effectively with the whole medical team, including patients and supervising nurses they report to.

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Work Environment

MA Workplace Environment

With the healthcare industry knowing no limitation of shifts, the work environment, in general, can be quite demand-based with night shifts and duty across odd hours. However, one key advantage that MAs possess here is that they not only work in clinical settings but also across administrative departments. There are varied work settings for medical assistants, which allow them to chalk out their preferred job environment at most times.

For instance, ones motivated with a fast-paced and dynamic environment opt to work in big hospitals. Those preferring a personal connection with patients tend to assist in private clinic settings, and the ones preferring for a traditional 9-5 job (and an intact social and personal life) chose a medical office to work at. Thus, a rare luxury (especially true for the medical industry) of picking the preferred work-life balance and respective work environment is rendered to MAs.

Statistically speaking, most medical assistants in the US opt for the clinical route. Work environment wise, here, 58% of MAs are working at offices of physicians. Only 15% have chosen hospitals as preferred job settings, and 9% of MAs work at outpatient care centers, while 4% at offices of chiropractors. Generally, most MAs work full-time, but some also choose weekend and evening shifts. Very few MAs end up being scheduled to cover on holidays or overnight shifts.

CNA Work Atmosphere

Nursing assistants are always in direct connection with the patients. They are more likely to work across an environment of large medical establishments and hospitals housing patients that need add-on care. Thus, since CNA’s day to day services are central to the patient’s living in the center, their valuable patient care is required round-the-clock. Therefore, CNAs usually have to serve more night shifts and duties over holidays and weekends compared to MAs. Their work environment does include more instances of duty across odd hours.

According to BLS reports, most nursing assistants are working across skilled nursing care environments (34% of the total employed in the US). At the same time, 32% of CNAs are opting for work environments of hospitals (state, local and private settings). In comparison, 10% are employed across retirement care communities and assisting living facilities for the elderly, and 6% of CNAs also have chosen the home healthcare environment to discharge their duties. The remaining 4% of the professionals are working across the government jobs.

Thus, concerning work environments, CNAs have a little less flexibility as compared to MAs. While MAs can pick from a varied set of alternative job atmospheres and work-life settings, CNAs are more involved in core patient care services directly, and hence have to adhere to odd working schedules when the need may be. It is part and parcel of their job responsibility as a nursing aid.

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Salary Differences

As per BLS May 2021 occupational employment and wages report, medical assistants in the USA earned an hourly pay of $18.36 and an annual salary of $38,190 on average. On the other hand, nursing assistants earned an hourly wage of $15.99 and yearly wages of $33,250 on average in the US.

According to indeed.com, MAs with 2-3 years of experience and selected qualifications draw an hourly pay of $18.29 in the United States. On the other hand, CNAs with the same experience and selected qualifications earn $19.82 per hour in the country.

Salaries of medical assistants by years of experience in the US:

Source: indeed.com (as of January 10, 2023)

Salaries of nursing assistants by years of experience in the United States:

Source: indeed.com (as of January 10, 2023)

Salary.com postulates the annual salary of medical assistants in the US as $38,590 (as of December, 27, 2022). The approximate range falls between $35,575 and $41,667 depending on training, certifications, state location, and experience. Average annual pay for CNAs are postulated as $33,016 (as of December 27, 2022). It ranges between $30,008 and $37,090 depending on several factors such as experience years and add-on qualifications.

Comparison of salaries drawn by MAs and CNAs across hourly and annual rates

As can be seen in the table above, MAs were found to be paid more in comparison to CNAs in the country. The figures hold true across different research bodies such as BLS, Indeed, Salary, and Payscale.

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Employment and Future Demand

Currently, 743,500 medical assistants and 1,343,700 nursing assistants are employed in America, according to BLS December 2022 estimates. BLS estimates a 5% growth for CNAs and a 16% growth for medical assistants in the USA (2021-2031).

Growth projected in the employment of medical assistants

Source: Projection Central

From 2020 to 2030, a significant 18.4%% increase in demand for medical assistants is to be witnessed across the country.

Growth projected in the employment of CNAs

Source: Projection Central

CNAs can expect a 8.3% growth in the number of jobs in the 2020-2030 period.

There is a significant difference in the growth projections and demand for MAs and CNAs. As statistically stipulated above, medical assistants are estimated to see more than double growth prospects in terms of employability as compared to CNAs in the United States.

Medical Assistant vs CNA: Type of Jobs