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The differences between hardware technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a hardware technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a hardware technician has an average salary of $47,851, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a hardware technician include customer service, technical support and network printers. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Hardware Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $47,851 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $23.01 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 85,174 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A hardware technician is typically in charge of providing technical support to clients or employees, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. In a company setting, a hardware technician is responsible for performing initial assessments on computer hardware, troubleshooting, diagnosing problems, and providing step by step solutions to solve the issues. They may also perform corrective repairs on problems and conduct regular maintenance checks to ensure the quality of equipment. Furthermore, as a hardware technician, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
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.
Hardware technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $47,851 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $71,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Apple | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a hardware technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between hardware technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Hardware Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 55.3% 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 | 11% | 8% |