Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between companions and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $29,246 average annual salary of a companion.
The top three skills for a companion include companionship, patients and home health. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Companion | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $29,246 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $14.06 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 75,753 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A companion is responsible for assisting sick and recovered patients, as well as the elderly. Companions perform housekeeping duties, ensuring that a facility is well-maintained and safe for the use of the patients. They also monitor the patients' medication, prepare their meals based on a medical professional's prescription, support them on their daily activities, respond to the patients' needs and special requests as allowed, and report any developments to their family or guardians. A companion must be compassionate enough to extend physical and emotional support, depending on the client's condition.
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.
Companions and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Companion | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $29,246 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $38,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Merck | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a companion and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Companion | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between companions' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Companion | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.1% Female, 87.9% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 57.0% 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 | 7% | 8% |