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Emergency medical technician vs anesthesia technician

The differences between emergency medical technicians and anesthesia technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency medical technician has an average salary of $39,743, which is higher than the $39,640 average annual salary of an anesthesia technician.

The top three skills for an emergency medical technician include patients, CPR and EMS. The most important skills for an anesthesia technician are patients, patient care, and BLS.

Emergency medical technician vs anesthesia technician overview

Emergency Medical TechnicianAnesthesia Technician
Yearly salary$39,743$39,640
Hourly rate$19.11$19.06
Growth rate7%6%
Number of jobs137,61778,132
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age3641
Years of experience-12

What does an emergency medical technician do?

Emergency medical technicians or EMTs are skilled medical professionals who act as first responders to injured or sick patients. They apply first aid or do emergency medical procedures upon arriving at the area where the emergency happened. For serious or grave injuries, they do not have complete medical equipment at their disposal, so they have limited capacities on the field. Despite that, EMTs do their best to ensure that patients would reach the hospital for such high-risk cases. EMTs are expected to be calm under pressure and have extensive knowledge of first aid and of basic medical procedures.

What does an anesthesia technician do?

Anesthesia technicians are healthcare professionals who oversee activities related to anesthetics. They administer anesthesia to patients and assist doctors in related activities. They also monitor the patient after the anesthesia is administered to ensure that no harmful side effects occurred. Anesthesia technicians are expected to know how to test for anesthetic allergies and to spot signs of such allergies. They should be familiar with the different techniques, solutions, and equipment used for anesthetic procedures. Aside from those, anesthesia technicians are also expected to manage the inventory of anesthetic solutions and to trigger purchase requests for new stocks.

Emergency medical technician vs anesthesia technician salary

Emergency medical technicians and anesthesia technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Emergency Medical TechnicianAnesthesia Technician
Average salary$39,743$39,640
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $59,000Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying CityNew Brunswick, NJRedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyCalifornia
Best paying companyLewistown HospitalChildren's Hospital Los Angeles
Best paying industryGovernmentEducation

Differences between emergency medical technician and anesthesia technician education

There are a few differences between an emergency medical technician and an anesthesia technician in terms of educational background:

Emergency Medical TechnicianAnesthesia Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 36%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common majorMedical TechnicianNursing
Most common college-University of Connecticut

Emergency medical technician vs anesthesia technician demographics

Here are the differences between emergency medical technicians' and anesthesia technicians' demographics:

Emergency Medical TechnicianAnesthesia Technician
Average age3641
Gender ratioMale, 60.9% Female, 39.1%Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 4.5% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%13%

Differences between emergency medical technician and anesthesia technician duties and responsibilities

Emergency medical technician example responsibilities.

  • Provide medical emergency response, non-emergency transport services, event medical services, manage transportation services and paramedic and EMT training.
  • Demonstrate manual dexterity, with ability to perform all tasks relate to quality patient care.
  • Coordinate emergency transport of patients while providing treatment and triage in a variety of emergency situations.
  • File reports for patients, restock ambulance and supplies at base, have ACLS training, injection.
  • Handled/administered all types of ACLS medications to pediatric, adult and geriatric patients on a daily basis.
  • Assist nurse/physician with procedure such as suturing, lumbar puncture, catherization, casting/reduction, and application of restraints.
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Anesthesia technician example responsibilities.

  • Assess vitals, apply splints and other orthopedic devices, perform wind care, phlebotomy and EKG's.
  • Maintain an unobstruct operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
  • Provide appropriate life-saving care and assist veterinarian in triage emergency cases.
  • Provide anesthesia technician services to patients under the direct supervision of a license anesthesia care provider designate by the client facility.
  • Assist anesthesiologists in preparing patients for local or general anesthesia in the areas of main surgery, outpatient surgery and labor/delivery.
  • Scrub minor ENT, GYN, and Ortho procedures.
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Emergency medical technician vs anesthesia technician skills

Common emergency medical technician skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • CPR, 11%
  • EMS, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Life Support, 5%
  • EMT-B, 3%
Common anesthesia technician skills
  • Patients, 16%
  • Patient Care, 11%
  • BLS, 7%
  • Anesthesia Tech, 6%
  • Surgery, 5%
  • IV, 3%

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