Post job

What does a med technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a med technician do

Typically working in hospitals or private clinics, a med technician specializes in collecting blood or bodily fluids and analyzing them through laboratory tests. The results of these tests will be a vital factor in diagnosing a patient's condition and what treatment a physician should give. Moreover, a med technician is also responsible for producing accurate reports, reviewing data, coordinating with physicians and other health care workers, maintaining a clean and sanitized work environment, and adhering to the company's safety policies and standards.

On this page

Med technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real med technician resumes:

  • Manage memory unity within facility.
  • Measure heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, blood-oxygen level and electrocardiogram information using sophisticate equipment.
  • Work hematology, urinalysis and some serology on day shift.
  • Work in all aspects of the lab including: chemistry, hematology, immunology, microbiology, blood bank, et.
  • Perform routine hematology, coagulation, and urinalysis testing.
  • Supervise caregivers, administer medications, assist elderly with daily rituals, care for memory care patients.
  • Certify CPR and 1st aide.
  • Work as CMT from 8/2012 - 11/2012
  • Schedule technicians, and troubleshoot issues with monitors.
  • Perform tasks as assigned by therapists and PTA's.
  • Med tech certify, CPR certify, and first aid certify.
  • Treat patients performing therapeutic range of motion (ROM) exercises.
  • Receive proper training and certificates to become a certify medication technician (CMT).
  • Perform duties in alignment with the company, HIPAA, community objectives and state licensure guidelines.
  • Contract as an on-call CMT/CNA in various healthcare facilities specializing in acute care and rehabilitation units.

Med technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Med Technicians are proficient in Patients, Med-Tech, and Cleanliness. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Listening skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Med Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 10%

    Lead care manager/med Tech responsible for overseeing resident care, medical administration, and liaison between nursing/medical professionals and patients.

  • Med-Tech, 9%

    Make rounds and give direct care, reporting to the next shift med-tech, monitoring self-administrations, and follow up's

  • Cleanliness, 9%

    Maintained requirements of OSHA and cleanliness during medication administration.

  • CPR, 9%

    Certified Med Technician CPR and Emergency Response Certified

  • Quality Care, 8%

    Provided full-scale service to residents ensuring high-quality care, managing medication administration and overall support to residents and staff.

  • Resident Care, 6%

    Document and report all job-related injuries to the Resident Care Director immediately.

"patients," "med-tech," and "cleanliness" are among the most common skills that med technicians use at work. You can find even more med technician responsibilities below, including:

Math skills. The most essential soft skill for a med technician to carry out their responsibilities is math skills. This skill is important for the role because "pharmacy technicians need to have an understanding of the math concepts used in pharmacies when counting pills and compounding medications." Additionally, a med technician resume shows how their duties depend on math skills: "travel: klamath falls, oregon, merle west medical center (sky lakes), hematology and coagulation, day shift"

Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform med technician duties is listening skills. Med technicians responsibilities require that "pharmacy technicians must communicate clearly with pharmacists and doctors when taking prescription orders." Med technicians also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided companionship for resident including talking, listening, providing social and emotional support. "

Customer-service skills. med technicians are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to med technician responsibilities, because "pharmacy technicians spend much of their time interacting with customers, so being helpful and polite is required of pharmacy technicians in a retail setting." A med technician resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "administer medication, assisting with daily activity living, customer service, transcribing orders, ordering medication and supervisor"

Organizational skills. A big part of what med technicians do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to med technician responsibilities because "working as a pharmacy technician involves balancing a variety of responsibilities." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical med technician tasks: "coordinated activities.accomplishmentscompassion for each residents special needsskills usedmultitasking, organizational, compassion, leadership skills"

Detail oriented. Another common skill required for med technician responsibilities is "detail oriented." This skill comes up in the duties of med technicians all the time, as "serious health problems can result from mistakes in filling prescriptions." An excerpt from a real med technician resume shows how this skill is central to what a med technician does: "interacted with patients and monitored vital signs and report details to the nurse. "

All med technician skills

The three companies that hire the most med technicians are:

Choose from 10+ customizable med technician resume templates

Build a professional med technician resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your med technician resume.
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume
Med Technician Resume

Compare different med technicians

Med technician vs. Laboratory assistant/phlebotomist

A laboratory assistant/phlebotomist is responsible for drawing blood samples and other laboratory tests, labeling specimens, and performing administrative and clerical duties as needed. Laboratory assistants/phlebotomists should ensure that the laboratory tools and equipment are stored and secured in a safe area, as well as regularly sterilizing testing tools to avoid contamination upon the use of the patients. They must be highly knowledgeable of the medical procedures and processes, responding to the patients' inquiries and concerns, and providing a timely update of medical results.

The annual salary of laboratory assistant/phlebotomists is $9,970 lower than the average salary of med technicians.Even though med technicians and laboratory assistant/phlebotomists are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require patients, cpr, and customer service in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, med technician responsibilities require skills like "med-tech," "cleanliness," "quality care," and "resident care." Meanwhile a typical laboratory assistant/phlebotomist has skills in areas such as "blood specimens," "phlebotomy procedures," "specimen collection," and "patient care." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

The education levels that laboratory assistant/phlebotomists earn slightly differ from med technicians. In particular, laboratory assistant/phlebotomists are 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a med technician. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Med technician vs. Medication aide

A medication aide is a healthcare professional who is responsible for administering medication to patients daily in a hospital or medical facility. As certified nursing assistants, medication aides should possess knowledge of patient care procedures so that they can coordinate with different nurses to deliver them. They follow written or verbal instructions from physicians on how to manage their patients' medications. Medication aides are also required to observe their patients and document changes in their conditions.

On average, medication aides earn a $3,724 lower salary than med technicians a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Med technicians and medication aides both require similar skills like "patients," "cleanliness," and "cpr" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that med technician responsibilities requires skills like "med-tech," "pet," "good judgment," and "test results." But a medication aide might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "state regulations," "infection control," "medication distribution," and "physician orders."

On average, medication aides earn a lower salary than med technicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, medication aides earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $39,103. Whereas med technicians have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $42,290.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Medication aides tend to reach similar levels of education than med technicians. In fact, they're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Med technician vs. Senior certified pharmacist technician

A clinical laboratory technician typically works under the direction of a physician or medical technologist to perform tests that will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions and illnesses. You will perform various duties, including preparing samples for analysis, monitoring tests and procedures, and matching blood for transfusion. Additionally, you are expected to participate in staff training and educational opportunities and contribute to a secure and safe environment for patients, physicians, co-workers, and visitors. This role will also require ensuring that laboratory information remains confidential.

On average scale, senior certified pharmacist technicians bring in lower salaries than med technicians. In fact, they earn a $440 lower salary per year.med technicians and senior certified pharmacist technicians both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "patients," "customer service," and "medical terminology," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a med technician is likely to be skilled in "med-tech," "cleanliness," "cpr," and "quality care," while a typical senior certified pharmacist technician is skilled in "direct supervision," "math," "telephone calls," and "inventory control."

Senior certified pharmacist technicians make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $41,107. On the other hand, med technicians are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $42,290.senior certified pharmacist technicians typically earn similar educational levels compared to med technicians. Specifically, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Med technician vs. Clinical laboratory technician

Clinical laboratory technicians tend to earn a higher pay than med technicians by an average of $6,233 per year.According to resumes from med technicians and clinical laboratory technicians, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "patients," "cleanliness," and "customer service. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between med technicians and clinical laboratory technicians, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a med technician might have more use for skills like "med-tech," "cpr," "quality care," and "resident care." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of clinical laboratory technicians require skills like "clinical laboratory technologist," "patient care," "body fluids," and "qc. "

Clinical laboratory technicians enjoy the best pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $56,548. For comparison, med technicians earn the highest salary in the government industry.clinical laboratory technicians reach similar levels of education compared to med technicians, in general. The difference is that they're 4.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of med technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs