Administrative support specialist vs certified medical technician

The differences between administrative support specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an administrative support specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $38,244 average annual salary of an administrative support specialist.

The top three skills for an administrative support specialist include customer service, data entry and patients. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Administrative support specialist vs certified medical technician overview

	Administrative Support Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$38,244	$38,859
Hourly rate	$18.39	$18.68
Growth rate	-8%	5%
Number of jobs	139,654	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	50	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does an administrative support specialist do?

An administrative support specialist is an individual who is involved in the office management, clerical tasks, and back-office duties of an organization. To run the office smoothly, administrative support specialists must manage the purchasing and inventory of office supplies as well as schedule the maintenance of office equipment. They serve as a liaison for executives by screening incoming calls and emails, sorting mails, and setting appointments with employees, customers, and vendors. Administrative support specialists must also be able to draft memos and edit report proposals and other business documents.

What does a certified medical technician do?

Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.

Administrative support specialist vs certified medical technician salary

Administrative support specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Administrative Support Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$38,244	$38,859
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	King County	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between administrative support specialist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between an administrative support specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Administrative Support Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Connecticut

Administrative support specialist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between administrative support specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Administrative Support Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	50	44
Gender ratio	Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between administrative support specialist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Administrative support specialist example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint presentations, manage spreadsheet information/graphs and provide reports as necessary.
Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Assist SharePoint intranet creation and documentation.
Generate PowerPoint presentations for meetings and training.
Maintain and post unit documents utilizing SharePoint.
Maintain files on all division civilian personnel, submit accurate payroll sheets for assign civilian personnel.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Administrative support specialist vs certified medical technician skills

Common administrative support specialist skills

Customer Service, 16%
Data Entry, 8%
Patients, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%
Administrative Functions, 4%
Office Equipment, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Administrative Support Specialist
Administrative Support Specialist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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