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Bio medical technician vs clinical technician

The differences between bio medical technicians and clinical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a bio medical technician and a clinical technician. Additionally, a bio medical technician has an average salary of $60,490, which is higher than the $35,760 average annual salary of a clinical technician.

The top three skills for a bio medical technician include patients, OSHA and hand tools. The most important skills for a clinical technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Bio medical technician vs clinical technician overview

BIO Medical TechnicianClinical Technician
Yearly salary$60,490$35,760
Hourly rate$29.08$17.19
Growth rate17%9%
Number of jobs108,555161,812
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age4444
Years of experience1212

What does a bio medical technician do?

A biomedical technician is responsible for installing, repairing, and maintaining biomedical equipment. Your day-to-day duties include testing and calibrating parts, performing preventative maintenance on medical equipment to ensure patients receive high-quality service and treatment, and directing the operation of biomedical equipment. As a biomedical technician, it is your responsibility to keep this equipment in good condition by performing tests and following best practices for preventative maintenance. You are also responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy work environment.

What does a clinical technician do?

A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations. They also maintain medical charts, update patients' information on the database, and administer patients' medication. A clinical technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as strictly following internal guidelines and safety procedures during operations.

Bio medical technician vs clinical technician salary

Bio medical technicians and clinical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

BIO Medical TechnicianClinical Technician
Average salary$60,490$35,760
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $91,000Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between bio medical technician and clinical technician education

There are a few differences between a bio medical technician and a clinical technician in terms of educational background:

BIO Medical TechnicianClinical Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringNursing
Most common collegePurdue UniversityUniversity of Connecticut

Bio medical technician vs clinical technician demographics

Here are the differences between bio medical technicians' and clinical technicians' demographics:

BIO Medical TechnicianClinical Technician
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 76.5% Female, 23.5%Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between bio medical technician and clinical technician duties and responsibilities

Bio medical technician example responsibilities.

  • Perform all biomedical technician functions to troubleshoot, repair and manage hospital equipment.
  • Maintain, troubleshoot and repair various laboratory equipment: sterilizers, centrifuges, microscopes, etc.
  • Collect water samples for AAMI analysis according to company, state, and federal regulations and document as appropriate.
  • Repair and troubleshooting of KCI and customer own products in adherence to strict OSHA, FDA, and ISO guidelines.
  • Train new employees and students on PACS.
  • Assist with implementation of PACS.
  • Show more

Clinical technician example responsibilities.

  • Prepare QC and QA samples for validity testing.
  • Resolve issues from level 1 EMR support as well as EMR issues transfer from other departments.
  • Recognize life threatening situations and activate the emergency response system while assisting with CPR and code cart.
  • Report and document description of patient care information in EMR in accordance with hospital policy and procedure.
  • Participate in reviews and QC of external central laboratory contracts, sample kits and manuals and ensure accuracy.
  • Assist in advance and basic life support techniques, perform EKG's, blood withdrawal, and computer order entry.
  • Show more

Bio medical technician vs clinical technician skills

Common bio medical technician skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • OSHA, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Clinical Equipment, 5%
  • Preventive Maintenance, 5%
  • Test Equipment, 5%
Common clinical technician skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Vital Signs, 8%
  • Phlebotomy, 7%
  • Direct Patient Care, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • EKG, 4%

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