Health care organizations need several supporting staffs other than doctors for performing various clinical, administrative and laboratory tasks. Phlebotomists and Medical Assistants come under the category of these supporting staffs. Both of these professions are entirely different as their job responsibilities differ from each other. Phlebotomists are the laboratory staffs who take blood from the patients to perform the blood test. They will employ different techniques to draw blood from the artery in wrist or bend arm. The job of Medical Assistant is to assist various clinical and administrative tasks required in a health care organization. They can specialize in clinical or administrative area according to their experience and skills.

Phlebotomist and opportunities

Phlebotomist can work in various hospitals so as to render their service in hospital laboratories. Both private and government hospitals hire the service of Phlebotomists. Various medical laboratories also offer career opportunities for Phlebotomist. They can find occupation in various research institutes. They can be also employed in diagnostic centers.

Medical Assistant and opportunities

Medical Assistants are the inevitable part of every health care organization. Therefore wide range of career opportunities is there for the Medical Assistants in the medical field.

They can perform the role of Medical Office Assistant and manage the office work of the concerned health care organization. The can pursue their career as clinical medical assistant or administrative medical assistant in various hospitals and health care facilities. Clinical medical assistants assist the physicians and help the patients. Administrative medical assistants mainly concern about billing and keeping medical records. They can work as medical lab assistants in the hospital laboratories. They can find the job of optometric assistant and assist the optometrists.

Key difference between Phlebotomist and Medical Assistant

• The job of Phlebotomists is to take blood from the patients while Medical Assistants take care of all the clinical and administrative tasks necessary for a health care organization
• Those who have Bachelor’s degree in Medical Lab Technology can become Phlebotomists. But Medical Assistant requires either one year certification course in Medical Assistance or degree in Medical Assistance.

Medical Assistants can specialize in various areas and their working canvas is quite large. But Phlebotomist itself is a specialization and their employment opportunities are less when compared to Medical Assistants.