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The differences between clinical technicians and certified nursing 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 clinical technician, becoming a certified nursing assistant takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, a clinical technician has an average salary of $35,760, which is higher than the $32,597 average annual salary of a certified nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a clinical technician include patients, vital signs and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Clinical Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,760 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $17.19 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 161,812 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 3 |
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.
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Clinical technicians and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,760 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $48,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical technician and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | - |
Here are the differences between clinical technicians' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Clinical Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |