Community health educator vs certified medical technician

The differences between community health educators and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a community health educator, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a community health educator has an average salary of $43,889, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a community health educator include patients, public health and health promotion. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Community health educator vs certified medical technician overview

	Community Health Educator	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$43,889	$38,859
Hourly rate	$21.10	$18.68
Growth rate	12%	5%
Number of jobs	66,731	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	4	12

What does a community health educator do?

A community health educator promotes health and wellness to a community through various health programs. Their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data to identify the community's needs, researching and planning activities, liaising with internal and external partners, developing health programs and activities, answering health inquiries, providing advice, and presenting educational materials to the community. They also serve as the link between healthcare services and specialists. Moreover, a community health educator must train and manage staff to provide optimal services to the community.

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.

Community health educator vs certified medical technician salary

Community health educators and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Community Health Educator	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$43,889	$38,859
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $59,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	West Hollywood, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	University of Massachusetts Boston	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between community health educator and certified medical technician education

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

	Community Health Educator	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Health Education	Nursing
Most common college	University of Florida	University of Connecticut

Community health educator vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Community Health Educator	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 6.2% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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	21%	8%

Differences between community health educator and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Community health educator example responsibilities.

Engage with members' telephonically, using motivational interviewing techniques to assist members' in achieving their health goals.
Educate low-income populations as to proper nutrition on a budget in an effort to reduce diabetes and obesity rates.
Educate local community via verbal presentations on nutrition guidelines and neonatal screenings by creating PowerPoint presentations and visual aids.
Provide case management of enrollee participation to ensure completion of schedule mammograms and cervical testing.

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.

Community health educator vs certified medical technician skills

Common community health educator skills

Patients, 11%
Public Health, 9%
Health Promotion, 9%
Community Outreach, 6%
Disease Prevention, 6%
Community Health Education, 5%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

Community Health Educator vs. similar jobs

Community Health Educator related careers

Community Health Educator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Community Health Educator
Community Health Educator vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs