I found this article online written by Aurelio Locsin that I thought some would be interested in.
Both medical office and administrative assistants enable professionals, such as doctors, managers and technicians, to perform their jobs. The assistants provide clerical support, acting as generalists for the miscellaneous jobs needed to keep an organization running. They normally work full time in climate-controlled and well-lit environments, but their shifts may include evenings or weekends, depending on the operating hours of their facilities.
Similarities
Both medical office and administrative assistants handle clerical tasks and paperwork at their organizations. They answer phones, receive and distribute mail, maintain paper and electronic filing systems, complete forms and operate office machines such as fax machines and printers. Both require only a high school diploma or equivalent because they receive training on the job from more experience clerical staff, or from supervisors. However, additional training is available in buisness schools or community colleges. Voluntary certification from national organizations may enhance employment value because it represents documented proof of expertise.
Differences
Aside from clerical tasks, medical office assistants can perform clinical tasks that administrative assistant do not have to do. Medical assistants can help with patient examinations, give patient injections, and prepare blood and other specimens for laboratory tests. They can only work under the supervision of doctors and must be able to keep health information confidential. In addition, medical assistants learn the special terminology and procedures associated with medicine. However, all assistants learn the technical vocabulary of their hiring industries. Note that medical office assistants are not the same as physicians’assistants, who can examine, diagnose and treat patients under doctor supervision.
Pay
Medical assistants earned less than administrative assistants at a mean $30,170 per year, or $14.51 per hour, as of May 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over 60 percent worked in doctors’offices to average an annual $30,420, or $14.63 per hour. However, their highest pay was in scientific research and development services at a mean $37,040 yearly, or $17.81 hourly. Administrative assistants averaged $48,120 per year, or $23.13 per hour. Their biggest employers were local government, with almost 8 percent of the total jobs and mean salaries of $48,440 yearly, or $23.29 hourly. The highest paying employers were securities and commodity exchanges, averaging an annual $65,310, or $31.40 per hour.