Medical dispatcher vs emergency operator

The differences between medical dispatchers and emergency operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an emergency operator has an average salary of $38,458, 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 operator are emergency situations, emergency operations, and emergency services.

Medical dispatcher vs emergency operator overview

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Operator
Yearly salary	$32,673	$38,458
Hourly rate	$15.71	$18.49
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	48,418	52,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Medical dispatcher vs emergency operator salary

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

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Operator
Average salary	$32,673	$38,458
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $43,000	Between $26,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between medical dispatcher and emergency operator education

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

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Medical dispatcher vs emergency operator demographics

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

	Medical Dispatcher	Emergency Operator
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 27.1% Female, 72.9%	Male, 41.1% Female, 58.9%
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 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 operator example responsibilities.

Manage busy company switchboard, operating PBX or private branch exchange systems to facilitate connections.
Utilize CCTV system to monitor and record activity in and around the facility.
Answer emergency calls/dispatch police fire and sheriff, enter and cancel stolen property and vehicles, run criminal history
Certify by APCO as a nationally recognize emergency dispatcher.

Medical dispatcher vs emergency operator skills

Common medical dispatcher skills

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

Common emergency operator skills

Emergency Situations, 23%
Emergency Operations, 19%
Emergency Services, 11%
EMS, 8%
Computer Aided Dispatch, 7%
Emergency Response, 6%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Medical Dispatcher
Medical Dispatcher vs Emergency Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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