Direct support professional vs certified medical technician

The differences between direct support professionals 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 $32,077 average annual salary of a direct support professional.

The top three skills for a direct support professional include direct support, developmental disabilities and autism. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Direct support professional vs certified medical technician overview

	Direct Support Professional	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$32,077	$38,859
Hourly rate	$15.42	$18.68
Growth rate	36%	5%
Number of jobs	142,034	164,424
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a direct support professional do?

Direct support professionals are responsible for taking care of patients with physical or mental limitations. They do a variety of tasks for their patients, such as doing household chores, running errands for them, cooking for them, feeding them, bathing and dressing them, and helping them with their medication, among others. They also provide their patients with companionship, accompanying their patients to appointments, providing emotional support, and being with their patients for the most part of the day. They should be familiar with their patients' prescribed medicines, meal plans, therapy schedules, and other items related to the betterment of the patients' condition. Direct support professionals help the patients overcome their challenges and assist them in acclimating themselves with their current environment.

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.

Direct support professional vs certified medical technician salary

Direct support professionals and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Support Professional	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$32,077	$38,859
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $54,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between direct support professional and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a direct support professional and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Direct Support Professional	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

Direct support professional vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between direct support professionals' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Direct Support Professional	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% 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%

Differences between direct support professional and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Direct support professional example responsibilities.

Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
Assist with toileting, including urinals.
Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.

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.

Direct support professional vs certified medical technician skills

Common direct support professional skills

Direct Support, 19%
Developmental Disabilities, 12%
Autism, 9%
Direct Care, 7%
DSP, 7%
Mental Health, 6%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Direct Support Professional vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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