Health care technician vs certified medical technician

The differences between health care technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $36,553 average annual salary of a health care technician.

The top three skills for a health care technician include patients, CPR and plant health. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Health care technician vs certified medical technician overview

	Health Care Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$36,553	$38,859
Hourly rate	$17.57	$18.68
Growth rate	9%	5%
Number of jobs	173,122	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	34	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a health care technician do?

A health care technician works with laboratory equipment used for the analysis of specimens for diagnosis. The health care technician's role is an integral part of a health care facility as all proper diagnosis stems from accurate laboratory results. Included with a healthcare technician's tasks is to take vital signs, collect samples, and work closely with doctors during patient consultations and check-ups. The health care technician typically works inside a laboratory and is expected to keep the area clean and all equipment is all in working order.

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.

Health care technician vs certified medical technician salary

Health care technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Care Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$36,553	$38,859
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Chelmsford, MA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between health care technician and certified medical technician education

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

	Health Care Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Health care technician vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between health care technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Health Care Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	34	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	15%	8%

Differences between health care technician and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Health care technician example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
Maintain and operate delivery vehicle need to safely transport necessary equipment to patients on a regularly schedule basis.
Observe, report and document pertinent information about patients per policy, to include communication with direct supervisor and treatment team.
Field incoming communications, perform administrative duties such as chart upkeep and telemetry monitoring with close attention to detail and accuracy.
Utilize interviewing skills in order to fill out patient's care programs/interests and organized/file patient records manually and with EMR.
Work in-home, providing compassionate care for older adults with Alzheimer's disease.

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.

Health care technician vs certified medical technician skills

Common health care technician skills

Patients, 17%
CPR, 13%
Plant Health, 12%
Customer Service, 12%
Vital Signs, 5%
Care Tech, 5%

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
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Health Care Technician vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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