Clerical associate vs certified medical technician

The differences between clerical associates and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clerical associate, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $30,024 average annual salary of a clerical associate.

The top three skills for a clerical associate include patients, data entry and customer service. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Clerical associate vs certified medical technician overview

	Clerical Associate	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$30,024	$38,859
Hourly rate	$14.43	$18.68
Growth rate	-5%	5%
Number of jobs	78,648	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a clerical associate do?

A clerical associate is someone who carries out administrative tasks. Clerical associates photocopy, distribute mail, put together mailings, send faxes, respond to emails, and type letters. The associate's order office supplies, convey messages to staff members, handle payroll, and manage conference rooms. They check records for information accuracy and policy and procedure conformity. It is part of their responsibilities to perform projects for patient care facilitation. Also, they provide support to the mental health clinic in terms of patient care and satisfaction survey distribution and collection.

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.

Clerical associate vs certified medical technician salary

Clerical associates and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerical Associate	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$30,024	$38,859
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Bakersfield, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	GBS	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between clerical associate and certified medical technician education

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

	Clerical Associate	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Clerical associate vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Clerical Associate	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 7.7% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	6%	8%

Differences between clerical associate and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Clerical associate example responsibilities.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Apply ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes for outpatient treatments.
Obtain and properly distributes messages using EMR.
Fax radiology reports and make calls regarding abnormal reports.
Coordinate patient radiology exams as well as patient procedures.
Update clinical records associate with patient visits in MYSIS EMR system.

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.

Clerical associate vs certified medical technician skills

Common clerical associate skills

Patients, 23%
Data Entry, 11%
Customer Service, 11%
Phone Calls, 5%
Clerical Functions, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Clerical Associate
Clerical Associate vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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