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The differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and nurse technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant and a nurse technician. Additionally, a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant has an average salary of $36,382, which is higher than the $33,005 average annual salary of a nurse technician.
The top three skills for a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a nurse technician are patients, CPR, and vital signs.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,382 | $33,005 |
| Hourly rate | $17.49 | $15.87 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 350,499 | 195,553 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A certified medical assistant (CMA) or certified nurse assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who performs clinical and administrative duties in clinics or medical facilities. Certified medical assistants provide excellent customer service to patients arriving and departing from the medical facility and administer injections or medications to their patients. In administrative duties, certified medical assistants are tasked to help clients submit insurance claims and encode medical records to the computer system. They also can work with specialized physicians such as ophthalmologists and podiatrists.
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
Certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants and nurse technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,382 | $33,005 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $47,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Aya Healthcare | Carondelet High School |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant and a nurse technician in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 26% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants' and nurse technicians' demographics:
| Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | Nurse Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |