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Certified pharmacist technician vs clinical technician

The differences between certified pharmacist technicians and clinical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified pharmacist technician has an average salary of $37,059, which is higher than the $35,760 average annual salary of a clinical technician.

The top three skills for a certified pharmacist technician include patients, direct supervision and math. The most important skills for a clinical technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Certified pharmacist technician vs clinical technician overview

Certified Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Technician
Yearly salary$37,059$35,760
Hourly rate$17.82$17.19
Growth rate5%9%
Number of jobs113,033161,812
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age3844
Years of experience-12

What does a certified pharmacist technician do?

A certified pharmacist technician is responsible for assisting patients by providing medicines based on their needs or their physicians' prescriptions. Certified pharmacist technicians must be able to supply the correct medications, including the right dosage to patients. They must also have a broad understanding of the medical industry, providing medicinal information to patients and referring them to the right health professionals as needed. Certified pharmacist technicians also monitor medicine inventories, manage supplies, and create sales reports.

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.

Certified pharmacist technician vs clinical technician salary

Certified pharmacist technicians and clinical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Certified Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Technician
Average salary$37,059$35,760
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $50,000Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying CityVancouver, WASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyDignity HealthBrigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industryHealth CareGovernment

Differences between certified pharmacist technician and clinical technician education

There are a few differences between a certified pharmacist technician and a clinical technician in terms of educational background:

Certified Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorPharmacyNursing
Most common college-University of Connecticut

Certified pharmacist technician vs clinical technician demographics

Here are the differences between certified pharmacist technicians' and clinical technicians' demographics:

Certified Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Technician
Average age3844
Gender ratioMale, 20.8% Female, 79.2%Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% 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 Percentage5%8%

Differences between certified pharmacist technician and clinical technician duties and responsibilities

Certified pharmacist technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage return authorizations of expire and damage drugs to send back to vendor or Walgreens distribution center.
  • Secure and manage PYXIS systems during facility emergencies.
  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Experience in patient intake, data entry, dosage calculations, Rx clarification, billing, adjudicate claims, and dispensing.
  • Fill prescriptions under guidance a register pharmacist using intercom.
  • Fill PYXIS machines on every floor of the hospital in a timely and accurate manner
  • 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

Certified pharmacist technician vs clinical technician skills

Common certified pharmacist technician skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Direct Supervision, 10%
  • Math, 8%
  • Telephone Calls, 7%
  • Inventory Control, 4%
  • RX, 4%
Common clinical technician skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Vital Signs, 8%
  • Phlebotomy, 7%
  • Direct Patient Care, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • EKG, 4%

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