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The differences between health technicians and certified nursing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health technician has an average salary of $37,873, which is higher than the $32,597 average annual salary of a certified nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a health technician include patients, excellent interpersonal and customer service. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,873 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $18.21 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 110,277 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 34 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 3 |
A health technician is responsible for supporting medical operations in a health care facility by performing administrative and clerical duties, ensuring that the organization provides the highest quality care service to the patients. Health technicians process patients' information, manage their medical payments, monitor their conditions as instructed by physicians, maintain an organized medical chart, administer medication, and assist in conducting medical procedures. They also check the adequacy of stock inventories and write request reports, as well as inspecting the cleanliness of all the medical tools and equipment during operations.
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Health technicians and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,873 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $51,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a health technician and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Emory University | - |
Here are the differences between health technicians' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Health Technician | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 34 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 7% |