Crisis worker vs certified medical technician

The differences between crisis workers 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 crisis worker, 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 $33,805 average annual salary of a crisis worker.

The top three skills for a crisis worker include patients, social work and mental health crisis. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Crisis worker vs certified medical technician overview

	Crisis Worker	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$33,805	$38,859
Hourly rate	$16.25	$18.68
Growth rate	9%	5%
Number of jobs	99,201	164,424
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	45	44
Years of experience	4	12

What does a crisis worker do?

A crisis worker is a mental health professional specializing in providing counseling and support services to individuals under emotional distress often caused by mental and behavioral issues, conducting interventions as needed. They are usually assigned in institutions or medical facilities, sometimes working for crisis hotlines where they must answer phone calls from clients, remain calm and rational during conversations, offer advice, and refer them to other support agencies to prevent them from taking drastic measures. A crisis worker engages with clients of all ages, requiring them to be proactive at all times.

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.

Crisis worker vs certified medical technician salary

Crisis workers and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Crisis Worker	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$33,805	$38,859
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	Northwestern Medicine	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between crisis worker and certified medical technician education

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

	Crisis Worker	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Connecticut

Crisis worker vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between crisis workers' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Crisis Worker	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	45	44
Gender ratio	Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	15%	8%

Differences between crisis worker and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Crisis worker example responsibilities.

Find placements for patients needing inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, and provide community referrals to those requiring lower levels of care.
Conduct psychiatric screenings in hospital settings to determine if patients meet the criteria for involuntary/voluntary commitment as mandated by state laws.
Coordinate care with community providers for follow up if patient are discharged, prepare documentation for admission to inpatient psychiatry unit.
Complete MDS assessments to determine mood and cognitive functioning, relaying information to interdisciplinary team and families.

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.

Crisis worker vs certified medical technician skills

Common crisis worker skills

Patients, 21%
Social Work, 18%
Mental Health Crisis, 5%
Compassion, 5%
CPR, 3%
Rehabilitation, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Community and Social Services Industry
Crisis Worker
Crisis Worker vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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