Dental office manager vs certified medical technician

The differences between dental office managers and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a dental office manager, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a dental office manager has an average salary of $55,915, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a dental office manager include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Dental office manager vs certified medical technician overview

	Dental Office Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$55,915	$38,859
Hourly rate	$26.88	$18.68
Growth rate	28%	5%
Number of jobs	68,831	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	6	12

What does a dental office manager do?

A dental office manager oversees the business operations of the dental practice, including billing, expenses, and budget. Dental office managers are leaders in the practice. Among their duties and responsibilities are appointment schedule maintenance and staff supervision. They coordinate the treatment of patients and oversee billing. They may become successful when they incorporate modern communication skills.

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.

Dental office manager vs certified medical technician salary

Dental office managers and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dental Office Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$55,915	$38,859
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $77,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	GPAC	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between dental office manager and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a dental office manager and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Dental Office Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Dental Assisting	Nursing
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	University of Connecticut

Dental office manager vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between dental office managers' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Dental Office Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.9% 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	8%	8%

Differences between dental office manager and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Dental office manager example responsibilities.

Manage medical health documents, submit laboratory works and input diagnoses, ICD-9 and procedure codes.
Manage daily office operations, policies and procedures, and OSHA compliance in a fast pace setting.
Help dentist manage dental and medical emergencies by maintaining CPR certification.
Manage business accounts receivable and payable, payroll, and insurance verification and submission responsibilities.
Work a POS register and sell movie tickets.
Ensure HIPAA compliance, perform monthly inventory, order supplies.

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.

Dental office manager vs certified medical technician skills

Common dental office manager skills

Patients, 24%
Patient Care, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Dental Care, 6%
OSHA, 6%
Payroll, 5%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Dental Office Manager
Dental Office Manager vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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