Critical care nurse vs certified medical technician

The differences between critical care nurses and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a critical care nurse has an average salary of $76,788, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a critical care nurse include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Critical care nurse vs certified medical technician overview

	Critical Care Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$76,788	$38,859
Hourly rate	$36.92	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	594,859	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a critical care nurse do?

A critical care nurse is responsible for providing quality care for patients confined in the intensive care unit of a health care facility. Critical care nurses maintain an organized medical chart to report the patient's condition to an attending physician and other medical professionals. They also administer medication, regularly check the patient's vital signs, and assist the doctors in conducting medical procedures and laboratory examinations. A critical care nurse also suggests care plans for the patients, especially during discharge, to ensure total recovery.

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.

Critical care nurse vs certified medical technician salary

Critical care nurses and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Critical Care Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$76,788	$38,859
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $130,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Dignity Health	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between critical care nurse and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a critical care nurse and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Critical Care Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Connecticut

Critical care nurse vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between critical care nurses' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Critical Care Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	9%	8%

Differences between critical care nurse and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Critical care nurse example responsibilities.

Interpret laboratory results, EKG readings, cardiac monitors, managing medication drips, and ventilator settings.
Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.
Work on the general units of rehabilitation, geriatrics, and telemetry.
Work in critical care floors ranging from MICU to SICU to regular ICU.
Perform emergency medical procedures such as BLS, ACLS, and other condition stabilizing interventions.
Care for patients with a wide variety of critical illnesses and are CCRN certify for many years.

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.

Critical care nurse vs certified medical technician skills

Common critical care nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 11%
Acls, 8%
Life Support, 5%
Quality Care, 3%
Compassion, 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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Critical Care Nurse
Critical Care Nurse vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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