Medical administrator vs patient care technician

The differences between medical administrators and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical administrator has an average salary of $35,713, which is higher than the $32,806 average annual salary of a patient care technician.

The top three skills for a medical administrator include patients, patient care and medical terminology. The most important skills for a patient care technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Medical administrator vs patient care technician overview

	Medical Administrator	Patient Care Technician
Yearly salary	$35,713	$32,806
Hourly rate	$17.17	$15.77
Growth rate	-8%	9%
Number of jobs	104,510	167,520
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	49	34
Years of experience	2	-

What does a medical administrator do?

A medical administrator is in charge of overseeing a medical facility's daily operations, ensuring the efficiency of all services and processes. Among their responsibilities include setting goals and guidelines, studying the feedback of different parties, gathering and analyzing data to identify areas needing improvement, planning and organizing new services and projects, managing the medical staff, and developing strategies to optimize operations. They may also develop training programs for new and current employees, coordinating with experts in the medical field. Furthermore, as a medical administrator, it is essential to lead the workforce while implementing the hospital's policies and regulations.

What does a patient care technician do?

Patient care technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.

Medical administrator vs patient care technician salary

Medical administrators and patient care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Administrator	Patient Care Technician
Average salary	$35,713	$32,806
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $45,000	Between $24,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Hillsborough, NJ	Rochester, NH
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Vermont
Best paying company	W. R. Berkley	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	Finance	Health Care

Differences between medical administrator and patient care technician education

There are a few differences between a medical administrator and a patient care technician in terms of educational background:

	Medical Administrator	Patient Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	Emory University

Medical administrator vs patient care technician demographics

Here are the differences between medical administrators' and patient care technicians' demographics:

	Medical Administrator	Patient Care Technician
Average age	49	34
Gender ratio	Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0%	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	15%

Differences between medical administrator and patient care technician duties and responsibilities

Medical administrator example responsibilities.

Facilitate client relationships and manage surgery schedules, financial consultations, follow up care and ongoing maintenance.
Maintain a working knowledge and understanding of CPT and ICD-10 codes.
Provide patients with information explaining hospital admission policies, time of admission, and HIPPA privacy guidelines.
Receive and fulfill requests for release of information to patients and external providers following HIPPA guidelines
Attend classes to improve proficiency in billing using CPT and ICD9 codes with special modifiers.
Verify coverage for third-party insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and out of network benefits.

Patient care technician example responsibilities.

Manage care and prepare medical records, transcription and supply orders.
Manage daily care of high acuity patients with neurological trauma/disorders and post-surgery.
Qualify to perform patient care responsibilities on catheter patients.
Transport patients using wheelchairs and stretchers and assist patients to ambulate safely.
Assist with transferring patients in and out of wheelchairs, recliners, and stretchers.
Apply protective restraints safely and appropriately, assist in the admission, discharge and transfer of patients as needed.

Medical administrator vs patient care technician skills

Common medical administrator skills

Patients, 29%
Patient Care, 10%
Medical Terminology, 7%
HIPAA, 6%
CPT, 5%
Medicaid, 5%

Common patient care technician skills

Patients, 24%
Vital Signs, 9%
Phlebotomy, 7%
CPR, 6%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Administrator
Medical Administrator vs Patient Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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