Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between certified occupational therapy assistants and certified medical 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 certified occupational therapy assistant and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a certified occupational therapy assistant has an average salary of $50,872, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a certified occupational therapy assistant include patients, rehabilitation and home health. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,872 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $24.46 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 25% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 70,679 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants are professionals who work with licensed occupational therapists in providing therapy to patients. This therapy is usually related to the physical or mobility challenges of a patient. Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants help patients retain their skills, improve on their challenges, and eventually recover. They record the patient's progress after every therapy session. They may also help out in creating treatment plans for the patient. Since they spend a lot of time with patients, their inputs and recommendations are valuable in crafting and adjusting the treatment plan.
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.
Certified occupational therapy assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,872 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $68,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Mamaroneck, NY | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Staten Island Academy | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a certified occupational therapy assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 84% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Occupational Therapy | Nursing |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between certified occupational therapy assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 8% | 8% |