Health physics technician vs technician

The differences between health physics technicians and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a health physics technician and a technician. Additionally, a health physics technician has an average salary of $46,170, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.

The top three skills for a health physics technician include radiation safety, radioactive materials and air samples. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Health physics technician vs technician overview

	Health Physics Technician	Technician
Yearly salary	$46,170	$38,045
Hourly rate	$22.20	$18.29
Growth rate	-17%	1%
Number of jobs	55,571	596,842
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	38	40
Years of experience	2	2

Health physics technician vs technician salary

Health physics technicians and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Physics Technician	Technician
Average salary	$46,170	$38,045
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $81,000	Between $24,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Telecommunication

Differences between health physics technician and technician education

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

	Health Physics Technician	Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Biology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Health physics technician vs technician demographics

Here are the differences between health physics technicians' and technicians' demographics:

	Health Physics Technician	Technician
Average age	38	40
Gender ratio	Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6%	Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 6.6% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	2%

Differences between health physics technician and technician duties and responsibilities

Health physics technician example responsibilities.

Perform TEDE ALARA reviews to determine if respiratory protection would save dose on specific jobs.
Perform air, rod and contamination surveys, RWP surveys and RHR hoop valve cut and drain.
Alloy 600 lead technician responsibilities include reviewing daily surveys, performing ALARA briefs, designating tasks and developing shift schedule.
Develop a comprehensive written respiratory protection program for the NDT to align newly acquire SCBA capability with 29 CFR 1910 requirements.
Provide support for RCP removal and replacement
Follow specific RWP procedures and determine if results fall within prescribe guidelines.

Technician example responsibilities.

Achieve multiple ASE certifications within first year of employment.
Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
Manage, troubleshot and repair multiple wireless technologies including fiber optic transmission switches.
Install peripherals including printers, fax machines, scanners, and smartphones.

Health physics technician vs technician skills

Common health physics technician skills

Radiation Safety, 13%
Radioactive Materials, 10%
Air Samples, 8%
DOE, 5%
Radiation Surveys, 4%
ALARA, 4%

Common technician skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 14%
Patient Care, 8%
Hand Tools, 6%
Diagnosis, 5%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%

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Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Health Physics Technician
Health Physics Technician vs Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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