Float pharmacist vs certified medical technician

The differences between float pharmacists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a float pharmacist has an average salary of $118,744, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a float pharmacist include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Float pharmacist vs certified medical technician overview

	Float Pharmacist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$118,744	$38,859
Hourly rate	$57.09	$18.68
Growth rate	2%	5%
Number of jobs	51,231	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	42	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a float pharmacist do?

The primary role of a Float Pharmacist is to assist customers with their health care needs through filling prescriptions and providing excellent customer service. They supervise the work completed by pharmacy technicians and support staff.

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.

Float pharmacist vs certified medical technician salary

Float pharmacists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Float Pharmacist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$118,744	$38,859
Salary range	Between $92,000 And $152,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Sacramento, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Oregon	Alaska
Best paying company	H-E-B	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Retail	Health Care

Differences between float pharmacist and certified medical technician education

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

	Float Pharmacist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Pharmacy	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Connecticut

Float pharmacist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between float pharmacists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Float Pharmacist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	42	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.3% Female, 56.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.8% Asian, 20.1% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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	11%	8%

Differences between float pharmacist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Float pharmacist example responsibilities.

Manage many aspects of daily operations of pharmacy department with emerging focus on oncology.
Dose and manage all Vancomycin and Aminoglycoside antibiotics throughout the entire hospital including overseeing, evaluating, and ordering antibiotic labs.
Facilitate the training of staff from Eckerd to CVS
Provide pharmacist coverage to CVS stores locate around Wisconsin.
Check each prescription drug order for appropriateness of therapy, drug interactions, and medication allergies prior to dispensing.
Check prescriptions for appropriate dosage, drug interactions, allergies and contra-indications before dispensing medications.

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.

Float pharmacist vs certified medical technician skills

Common float pharmacist skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 22%
Patient Care, 22%
Immunization, 8%
Inventory Management, 8%
Disease State Management, 1%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Float Pharmacist
Float Pharmacist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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