Medical assistant vs patient care technician

The differences between medical assistants and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical assistant has an average salary of $34,900, which is higher than the $32,806 average annual salary of a patient care technician.

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

Medical assistant vs patient care technician overview

	Medical Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Yearly salary	$34,900	$32,806
Hourly rate	$16.78	$15.77
Growth rate	16%	9%
Number of jobs	189,915	167,520
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	37	34
Years of experience	12	-

What does a medical assistant do?

Medical assistants provide support to medical practitioners in both administrative and clerical tasks. They keep and update the patient's medical records, administer medicines under the supervision of a physician, assist during medical examinations, prepare medical samples for laboratory testing, manage the schedule of appointments, and assist the patients with their bills and in filling out needed forms, such as insurance-related documents. Medical assistants should have good communication skills and analytical skills, be organized, and be flexible. They should also have knowledge of how to operate some medical equipment such as x-ray machines.

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 assistant vs patient care technician salary

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

	Medical Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Average salary	$34,900	$32,806
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	Between $24,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Rochester, NH
Highest paying state	Alaska	Vermont
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical assistant and patient care technician education

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

	Medical Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Nursing
Most common college	-	Emory University

Medical assistant vs patient care technician demographics

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

	Medical Assistant	Patient Care Technician
Average age	37	34
Gender ratio	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.7% Asian, 8.8% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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	6%	15%

Differences between medical assistant and patient care technician duties and responsibilities

Medical assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Participate in emergency surgical intervention in obstetrics and gynecology patients.
Demonstrate proficiency in taking patient history and vitals, venipuncture, injections, urinalysis and preparing examination trays.
Attend to new out patients in gynecology clinic, make clinical diagnosis and follow up.
Provide RMA support to physician, and patients, including but not limit to vitals and patient history.

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 assistant vs patient care technician skills

Common medical assistant skills

Patients, 20%
Vital Signs, 10%
Patient Care, 9%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%
EKG, 4%

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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Healthcare Support Industry
Medical Assistant
Medical Assistant vs Patient Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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