Flight paramedic vs certified medical technician

The differences between flight paramedics and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a flight paramedic has an average salary of $50,261, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a flight paramedic include advanced life support, patients and EMT. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Flight paramedic vs certified medical technician overview

	Flight Paramedic	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$50,261	$38,859
Hourly rate	$24.16	$18.68
Growth rate	7%	5%
Number of jobs	13,976	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	36	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a flight paramedic do?

Flight Paramedics are responsible for providing emergency medical care to patients while in transport to a medical facility. Their duties include carrying out pre-hospital life support medical care, managing patient care documentation, participate in clinical experiences, conduct equipment maintenance, reporting failure of equipment, and maintaining supplies. They are responsible for healthcare referrals, outreach education activities, pre-mission checklists, and employee orientation. Flight Paramedics also contribute to the departmental quality by undertaking research and ensure operations comply with safety standards.

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.

Flight paramedic vs certified medical technician salary

Flight paramedics and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Paramedic	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$50,261	$38,859
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $62,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between flight paramedic and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a flight paramedic and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Flight Paramedic	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

Flight paramedic vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between flight paramedics' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Flight Paramedic	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	36	44
Gender ratio	Male, 82.8% Female, 17.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 4.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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	8%	8%

Differences between flight paramedic and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Flight paramedic example responsibilities.

Administer and manage advanced cardiac life support including medications and intubation of compromise airways.
Manage critically ill/injure patients effectively with rapid assessments, aggressive resuscitation, packaging and transport to appropriate definitive care emergency departments.
Schedule EMT's and paramedics for monthly shifts and training.
Coauthor unit medical protocols the paramedic skillset alongside AEMT and EMT.
Provide critical and ALS care and emergency service on domestic and international flights.
Provide all ALS care need to maintain a stable patient during the flight.

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.

Flight paramedic vs certified medical technician skills

Common flight paramedic skills

Advanced Life Support, 15%
Patients, 12%
EMT, 10%
BLS, 10%
Acls, 8%
EMS, 6%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

Flight Paramedic vs. similar jobs

Flight Paramedic related careers

Flight Paramedic related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Flight Paramedic
Flight Paramedic vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs