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The differences between certified medical technicians and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a certified medical technician, becoming a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $36,382 average annual salary of a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant.
The top three skills for a certified medical technician include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Certified Medical Technician | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,859 | $36,382 |
| Hourly rate | $18.68 | $17.49 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 164,424 | 350,499 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 28% | Associate Degree, 26% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 3 |
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.
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.
Certified medical technicians and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Technician | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,859 | $36,382 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $53,000 | Between $27,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denton, TX | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Favorite Healthcare Staffing | Aya Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified medical technician and a certified medical assistant/certified nurse assistant in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Technician | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 28% | Associate Degree, 26% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | - |
Here are the differences between certified medical technicians' and certified medical assistants/certified nurse assistants' demographics:
| Certified Medical Technician | Certified Medical Assistant/Certified Nurse Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% | Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |