General surgery physician assistant vs certified medical technician

The differences between general surgery physician assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general surgery physician assistant has an average salary of $228,104, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a general surgery physician assistant include patients, plastic surgery and patient care. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

General surgery physician assistant vs certified medical technician overview

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$228,104	$38,859
Hourly rate	$109.67	$18.68
Growth rate	28%	5%
Number of jobs	81,744	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	39	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a general surgery physician assistant do?

A General Surgery Physician Assistant helps surgeon with various tasks, such as inserting tubes, retracting issues, starting intravenous solutions, and others. They also write orders for patients while they are in the recovery room, as well as examine and monitor patients as they recover from their surgeries.

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.

General surgery physician assistant vs certified medical technician salary

General surgery physician assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$228,104	$38,859
Salary range	Between $118,000 And $439,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Montclair, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Beaufort Memorial Hospital	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between general surgery physician assistant and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a general surgery physician assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Physician Assistant	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Connecticut

General surgery physician assistant vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between general surgery physician assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	General Surgery Physician Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	39	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.4% White, 67.1% 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	12%	8%

Differences between general surgery physician assistant and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

General surgery physician assistant example responsibilities.

Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Develop basic surgical skills, such as suturing, retracting of tissue; debridement of wounds.
Order, perform, and interpret laboratory and radiology test within the scope of professional practice.
Educate patients on post-operative recovery and discharge needs.
Evaluate patients for admission from the emergency room and perform inpatient consultations.
Monitor stress testing; review nuclear component of stress images; conduct cardiology consultations inpatient and outpatient settings.

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.

General surgery physician assistant vs certified medical technician skills

Common general surgery physician assistant skills

Patients, 34%
Plastic Surgery, 20%
Patient Care, 13%
Physician Assistants, 6%
Surgical Procedures, 4%
Physical Examinations, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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General Surgery Physician Assistant
General Surgery Physician Assistant vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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