Health care technician vs mental health technician

The differences between health care technicians and mental health technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health care technician has an average salary of $36,553, which is higher than the $32,118 average annual salary of a mental health technician.

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

Health care technician vs mental health technician overview

	Health Care Technician	Mental Health Technician
Yearly salary	$36,553	$32,118
Hourly rate	$17.57	$15.44
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	173,122	103,710
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	-	-

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 mental health technician do?

A mental health technician's primary responsibility is to provide care and assistance to patients with mental health issues. Their tasks mainly revolve around administering scheduled and prescribed medication, monitoring vital signs, assisting during therapy sessions, and assessing patients' progress and behavior. They may also have administrative support tasks such as processing necessary documentation, preparing reports, managing schedules, and even reaching out to patients' guardians and families. A mental health technician may also build a healthy rapport with patients, giving them guidance and positive influence.

Health care technician vs mental health technician salary

Health care technicians and mental health technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Care Technician	Mental Health Technician
Average salary	$36,553	$32,118
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $49,000	Between $25,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Chelmsford, MA	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Vermont
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	CARE
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between health care technician and mental health technician education

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

	Health Care Technician	Mental Health Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California State University - Long Beach

Health care technician vs mental health technician demographics

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

	Health Care Technician	Mental Health Technician
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%
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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between health care technician and mental health 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.

Mental health technician example responsibilities.

Prevent and manage aggressive behavior among patients and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
Assist and organize workshops consisting of education, personal self-defense, CPR, and other techniques relating to mental health patients.
Assist in taking care of mental health patients, doing rounds on the ward, helping patients with compassion and care.
Apply immeasurable levels of compassion to preserve and safeguard the dignity of patients at all times.
Observe patient behaviors, if patients become physically violent, CPI training restraint techniques may become necessary.
Conduct patient rounds, assist with ADL care, offer therapeutic support, and provide written reports on assign patients

Health care technician vs mental health technician skills

Common health care technician skills

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

Common mental health technician skills

Patients, 26%
Vital Signs, 7%
CPR, 6%
Social Work, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%
Patient Safety, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Health Care Technician
Health Care Technician vs Mental Health Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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