Medical dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator

The differences between medical dispatchers and emergency dispatch operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency dispatch operator has an average salary of $45,398, which is higher than the $32,673 average annual salary of a medical dispatcher.

The top three skills for a medical dispatcher include data entry, CAD and patients. The most important skills for an emergency dispatch operator are departmental procedures, emergency dispatch, and customer service.

Medical dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator overview

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Yearly salary	$32,673	$45,398
Hourly rate	$15.71	$21.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	48,418	48,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 34%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Medical dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator salary

Medical dispatchers and emergency dispatch operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average salary	$32,673	$45,398
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $43,000	Between $32,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between medical dispatcher and emergency dispatch operator education

There are a few differences between a medical dispatcher and an emergency dispatch operator in terms of educational background:

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Medical dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator demographics

Here are the differences between medical dispatchers' and emergency dispatch operators' demographics:

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Dispatch Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	17%	17%

Differences between medical dispatcher and emergency dispatch operator duties and responsibilities

Medical dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Coordinate ambulances and helicopters to and from the hospital.
Dispatch multiple ambulances all throughout Houston and its surrounding areas.
Transport patients and clients utilizing company vehicles.
Master at delivering superior customer care and assist with elderly patients.
Discuss cable television equipment operation with customers over telephone to explain equipment usage and to troubleshoot equipment problems.

Emergency dispatch operator example responsibilities.

Train in first responder, CPR, hazmat, wreckmaster.
Educate customers in event history, update data, and troubleshoot their alarm system.
Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve customer telephone inquiries regarding billing issues, service offerings, and equipment usage.
Deploy fire, police, EMT workers to designate locations to assist with crime, injuries, or fire.
Have current appropriate plans, procedures, guidance and laws issue by the county and FEMA available within the EOC.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history

Medical dispatcher vs emergency dispatch operator skills

Common medical dispatcher skills

Data Entry, 15%
CAD, 12%
Patients, 10%
EMD, 9%
Non-Emergency Calls, 9%
BLS, 7%

Common emergency dispatch operator skills

Departmental Procedures, 15%
Emergency Dispatch, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Inbound Calls, 10%
Outbound Calls, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

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Medical Dispatcher
Medical Dispatcher vs Emergency Dispatch Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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