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The differences between emergency medical technicians and medical service 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 $37,943 average annual salary of a medical service technician.
The top three skills for an emergency medical technician include patients, CPR and EMS. The most important skills for a medical service technician are patients, customer service, and vital signs.
| Emergency Medical Technician | Medical Service Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,743 | $37,943 |
| Hourly rate | $19.11 | $18.24 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 137,617 | 189,362 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 36 | 36 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A medical service technician provides health care and treatments to patients under the supervision or directives of a more experienced physician. Most of their responsibilities revolve around assessing a patient's condition, administering required aid, diagnosing patients, conducting check-ups, and counseling patients. There are also instances when a medical service technician may prescribe medications, conduct inspections at facilities to ensure sanitary conditions, and coordinate with hospital staff for requesting supplies. Furthermore, it is crucial to have accurate documentation of all processes and transactions, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and standards.
Emergency medical technicians and medical service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Emergency Medical Technician | Medical Service Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,743 | $37,943 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $59,000 | Between $23,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Brunswick, NJ | Salem, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Lewistown Hospital | Sunrise Systems |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between an emergency medical technician and a medical service technician in terms of educational background:
| Emergency Medical Technician | Medical Service Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between emergency medical technicians' and medical service technicians' demographics:
| Emergency Medical Technician | Medical Service Technician | |
| Average age | 36 | 36 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1% | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |