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The differences between equipment technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an equipment technician has an average salary of $41,004, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for an equipment technician include preventative maintenance, patients and equipment maintenance. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Equipment Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,004 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $19.71 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 127,258 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
An equipment technician is responsible for handling the operations of company equipment and machinery, inspecting for any malfunctions, and immediately repairing defective components to prevent delays in productivity. Equipment technicians create a report of system failures, referencing documentation to develop consistency with the equipment, and suggest corrective actions. They should also analyze schematics and blueprints for guides on how to maintain the equipment's reliability. An equipment technician must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry, especially on enhancing equipment's performance and maximizing operational productivity.
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.
Equipment technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Equipment Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,004 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $56,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Westinghouse Appliances Australia | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an equipment technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Equipment Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Nursing |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between equipment technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Equipment Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 6.0% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 8% |