A medical assistant is not the same as a registered nurse; both roles help patients get better, but knowing the differences between the two careers is important. Early in the 20th century, medical assistants were seen as crucial since they would require a lot of practice to improve and become better. By the end of the 20th century, nursing education started to incorporate more formalized training, and the number of registered nurses continued to grow. Registered nurses have been around for a long time now, with their role becoming more and more prominent in the early 19th century. In the 1960s, the role of the Registered Nurse became more specialized, with nurses entering specific fields of medicine, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists. Medical assistants were established to promote professionalism and certification in their field (Maryville University).
Medical assistants have many responsibilities. A medical assistant is primarily tasked with administrative clinical duties, scheduling appointments, and assisting with basic patient care under the supervision of physicians or nurses. Medical assistants often do physical checks (a lot of sports require it), and they check your temperature, blood pressure, height, and weight. Medical assistants help the nurses a lot so that they can move faster because the MAs get all the information that the nurses need for a patient. Both roles are essential to healthcare, but registered nurses have more complex clinical duties and a higher degree of training (CNI College).
A more specific and patient-centered role is performed by registered nurses, who must earn a bachelor's or associate's degree in nursing and pass a licensing exam. To ensure that they have the skills and information necessary to provide safe and quality care, registered nurses must also pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. Registered nurses educate patients and their relatives about preventative care and recovery methods. This education is necessary to empower patients to take responsibility for their health (HCC and HCI).
RNs have more advanced clinical responsibilities and a deeper level of training, even though both are crucial to healthcare. Registered nurses must pass a license exam and get an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing because they play a more specialized and patient-centered role. The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses is another license exam that RNs must pass to commit to the knowledge and abilities needed to deliver safe and good care. RNs provide patients and their families with information on recuperation techniques and preventative care. Many registered nurses pursue further qualifications or education to specialize in specific healthcare disciplines, such as pediatrics, cancer, medical care, or nursing. Many registered nurses pursue additional qualifications or studies to specialize in specific healthcare areas, including neonatal nursing, pediatrics, cancer, or critical care (Nurse Journal).
RNs offer higher-level care and experience, while MAs provide essential support to ensure smooth patient care. Both work together to ensure that patients receive comprehensive and thoughtful medical treatment. RNs provide consolation, empathy, and emotional support, especially during difficult or stressful times. They also do more clinical tasks such as assisting with IV insertion, wound care, and operations. MAs assist with routine procedures such as injections and blood draws. MAs who work in clinics may also handle scheduling, billing, insurance documentation, and medical record keeping to maintain smooth operations. For instance, an MA may assist in setting up follow-up appointments, making sure prescriptions are filled, and even arranging for home care if necessary after a patient is released from the hospital (HCC).
Whether students choose to seek an associate degree, certificate, or diploma, MAs usually finish a shorter training program that lasts nine months to two years. Many MA training programs provide professional certifications such as Registered Medical Assistant or Certified Medical Assistant, which are often required by hospitals and medical practices. Passing an exam after finishing an approved program is usually required for certification. MAs frequently receive on-the-job training, which can vary according to the business and work environment. Although MAs receive training in both clinical and administrative duties, their education is typically less extensive than that of RNs. It covers the fundamentals of patient care, such as taking vital signs and getting patients ready for tests. Clinical duties such as performing, taking blood, and giving injections. Administrative duties like coding, billing, medical record management, and appointment scheduling. (Houston Methodist Careers).
More training is required to become a registered nurse, and this usually takes between two and four years to complete. It takes two to three years to earn a certificate of completion in nursing, which is enough to take the test. The four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program occasionally includes extra instruction in studies, leadership, and specialized care. To be certified to practice nursing, qualified registered nurses need to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses after finishing an approved nursing program. Registered nurses feel more prepared to perform a wider range of tasks due to their specialized education in clinical care. Their training includes a deeper understanding of topics like nursing, medicine, disease, health examination, and patient care management. (HCI College).
Medical assistants and registered nurses are paid differently due to their many educational backgrounds, roles, and skill sets. In the US, MAs normally earn between $18 and $20 per hour, depending on their experience. This translates to an average annual salary of $37,000 to $42,000 for full-time MAs. Some MAs may have limitations to improve, such as part-time employment, retirement plans, or health insurance. Their general financial stability and access to healthcare may be impacted by this. Registered nurses often earn between $33 and $38 per hour, depending on a variety of factors such as location, experience, and healthcare facility. For full-time registered nurses, this translates to an average yearly pay of $68,000 to $80,000.
I also think that people should get the opportunity to learn more about careers. Sometimes people might think that looking for more information might be boring, but it is not boring because all you do is look for more information, and it is helpful. Both these careers are important because they help a lot of patients get better. I can say that the patients are grateful for these types of careers. Every day at least one person is becoming a registered nurse and medical assistant. Why? Because both MAs and RNs are so important, many people nowadays want to pursue these careers or anything to do with the medical field. However, not everyone who wants to study this wants to, and some people want to do it to look good in front of others. In my opinion, this shouldn't be the case because learning about it is eventually what you should do for a living, not just to look good. At the end of the day, you need to choose your career wisely based on what it is that you are looking for; just learn about it, find out about it, and do it (e.g., college).
CNI college . “CNI College - Nursing School in Orange County, California.” Cnicollege.edu, cnicollege.edu/.
HCI College. “Home.” Www.hci.edu, 23 Feb. 8AD, www.hci.edu/.
Houston Methodist. “Careers | Houston Methodist Hospital Jobs.” Houstonmethodistcareers.org, 2025, www.houstonmethodistcareers.org/jobs/medical-assistant/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Jordan, Alyssa. “Medical Assistants vs. Registered Nurses (MA vs. RN).” Eagle Gate College, 9 Mar. 2022, www.eaglegatecollege.edu/blog/medical-assistant-vs-registered-nurse/.
Maryville University. “What Is & How to Become Certified Medical Assistant | Maryville Nursing.” Maryville.edu, 4 Sep. 2023, nursing.maryville.edu/blog/what-is-a-certified-medical-assistant.html.
Stepful. “4-Month Texas Medical Assistant Certification Program.” Stepful.com, 2022, www.stepful.com/program/texas-medical-assistant-certification-program. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Something that inspired my writing was because I want to study nursing, and I feel like doing research about it and writing about it at the same time will help me get more and more information about my future career. Learning this inspires me to keep on writing this essay. But to be honest, this topic just came into my mind, and I was like, I want to learn about it, and so I just started talking about it. I also did my research and learned lots of information, and since I was confused before writing this, now I have my final decision on what I want to do. My wiring process looked pretty good because as I was looking for resources and learning information, I would write down notes, and from those notes, I would make a big paragraph that was my whole process and how it looked, which I was learning a lot from the resources I was using. Some devices or techniques that I used were metaphor and personification. At some point one that I used was a flashback because I used a lot of information from years before. When I was deciding to do this writing, I decided I wanted to do it as an essay, and for my topic, I decided it had to be an essay, not a poem, because I looked at it that way. Moving forward to talk about the themes, I feel like I'm just talking about or spreading the word around people because, like I said in my writing, people do get confused about the different roles you can do in the medical field, so I think I don't have a theme for this writing, just more as research writing. My literary influences were that I created my topic, created my own set of notes, and was learning from my notes, like I said, to the point where I made my final decision on what role I want to play in the future for the medical field. Writing this was not just about stress but more of a fun thing to do because I love teaching things to other people. I love motivating people more, and hopefully, that is what I did.