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The differences between health communication specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a health communication specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a health communication specialist has an average salary of $49,493, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a health communication specialist include health education, patients and fact sheets. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Health Communication Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,493 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $23.79 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 54,007 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
A health communication specialist is responsible for managing public health communications by disseminating information to various media platforms. Health communication specialists analyze the current medical trends and coordinate with medical professionals to gain more details and discuss health issues with the community. They also promote and share advice in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and development. A health communication specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills to support the community people with their medical needs and concerns.
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 communication specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Communication Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,493 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $71,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hillsboro, OR | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Centers For Disease Control And Prevention | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a health communication specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Health Communication Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Nursing |
| Most common college | Georgetown University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between health communication specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Health Communication Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.9% Female, 71.1% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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 | 7% | 8% |