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The differences between licensed physical therapist assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a licensed physical therapist assistant has an average salary of $53,673, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a licensed physical therapist assistant include patients, patient care and home health. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $53,673 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $25.80 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 24% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 77,253 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A Physical Therapist assistant serves as an apprentice of a Physical Therapist. Their work is mainly to help patients who are undergoing recovery treatment because of certain sicknesses or injuries. They are the ones who are directing care for patients inside a hospital or a facility. They also treat patients who need a massage by giving them the proper exercise and recording and reporting everything that a patient does in a day. This will serve as a basis to determine their improvement.
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.
Licensed physical therapist assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $53,673 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $71,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a licensed physical therapist assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Physical Therapy | Nursing |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between licensed physical therapist assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.3% Female, 67.8% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 9.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |