Certified medical technician vs health technician

The differences between certified medical technicians and health technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $37,873 average annual salary of a health technician.

The top three skills for a certified medical technician include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a health technician are patients, excellent interpersonal, and customer service.

Certified medical technician vs health technician overview

	Certified Medical Technician	Health Technician
Yearly salary	$38,859	$37,873
Hourly rate	$18.68	$18.21
Growth rate	5%	9%
Number of jobs	164,424	110,277
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	44	34
Years of experience	12	-

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.

What does a health technician do?

A health technician is responsible for supporting medical operations in a health care facility by performing administrative and clerical duties, ensuring that the organization provides the highest quality care service to the patients. Health technicians process patients' information, manage their medical payments, monitor their conditions as instructed by physicians, maintain an organized medical chart, administer medication, and assist in conducting medical procedures. They also check the adequacy of stock inventories and write request reports, as well as inspecting the cleanliness of all the medical tools and equipment during operations.

Certified medical technician vs health technician salary

Certified medical technicians and health technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Medical Technician	Health Technician
Average salary	$38,859	$37,873
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $53,000	Between $27,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Denton, TX	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	Meta
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between certified medical technician and health technician education

There are a few differences between a certified medical technician and a health technician in terms of educational background:

	Certified Medical Technician	Health Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Connecticut	Emory University

Certified medical technician vs health technician demographics

Here are the differences between certified medical technicians' and health technicians' demographics:

	Certified Medical Technician	Health Technician
Average age	44	34
Gender ratio	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%	Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	15%

Differences between certified medical technician and health technician duties and responsibilities

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.

Health technician example responsibilities.

Maintain and manage medical and administrative records for all patients assign to clinic area to assure accurate care and patient confidentiality.
Supervise labs, diets, schedule radiology procedures, EKG's, respiratory, and medical tasks for patients.
Can perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid, and/or initiate appropriate emergency alert notifications.
Administer ABA therapy for children with autism and provide support for other technicians when not with own clients.
Assist providers in direct physical examinations, minor procedures, emergency care to include CPR, and other clinical duties.
Assist children with autism spectrum disorders in learning life still and helping them transition successfully in all aspects of their lives.

Certified medical technician vs health technician skills

Common certified medical technician skills

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

Common health technician skills

Patients, 18%
Excellent Interpersonal, 8%
Customer Service, 8%
Blood Pressure, 6%
Veterans, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Certified Medical Technician
Certified Medical Technician vs Health Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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