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The differences between direct support specialists 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 $37,771 average annual salary of a direct support specialist.
The top three skills for a direct support specialist include direct support, mental health and CPR. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Direct Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,771 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $18.16 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 95,560 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A direct support specialist provides care and assistance to individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. They may work at nursing facilities, government institutions, or at the patients' homes. Their responsibilities usually revolve around helping patients with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, going to the toilet, and attending appointments. They may also assist patients in taking medications, handle the laundry and dishes, cook and prepare meals according to nutrition plans, and run errands as necessary. Moreover, they are also responsible for coordinating with physicians, maintaining daily records, and processing documents.
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 specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,771 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $54,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a direct support specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between direct support specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Direct Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 59.8% 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% |