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The differences between health support specialists 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 health support specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $31,552 average annual salary of a health support specialist.
The top three skills for a health support specialist include patients, social work and CPR. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Health Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $31,552 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 152,897 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Health Support Specialists are professionals who assist medical professionals in providing health care to improve or restore the mental or physical well-being of their patients. These specialists must create health plans for families while accompanying children with their appointments to receive the necessary health care that is mandated by the federal government. They are required to provide mental health support services by conducting community outreach programs with local vendors and organizations. Health Support Specialists must also conduct counseling sessions for adolescents about substance abuse.
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 support specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $31,552 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $42,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Medtronic | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a health support specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Health Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between health support specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Health Support Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 9.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |