Medical records technician vs certified medical technician

The differences between medical records technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical records technician and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $37,087 average annual salary of a medical records technician.

The top three skills for a medical records technician include patients, medical terminology and HIPAA. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Medical records technician vs certified medical technician overview

	Medical Records Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$37,087	$38,859
Hourly rate	$17.83	$18.68
Growth rate	11%	5%
Number of jobs	67,660	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	45	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a medical records technician do?

A medical records technician is responsible for performing administrative duties, handling patients' medical records for medical purposes. Medical records technicians keep an organized database of patients' information, including medical history, diagnosis, healthcare treatments, laboratory schedules, and insurance details using specific healthcare coding procedures. Medical records technicians must be detail-oriented and highly organizational, especially on maintaining the accuracy and confidentiality of patients' information. This job is critical in the healthcare industry for the doctors' reference and determining treatment costs.

What does a certified medical technician do?

Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.

Medical records technician vs certified medical technician salary

Medical records technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Records Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$37,087	$38,859
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $48,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Long Branch, NJ	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Alaska
Best paying company	Guidehouse	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between medical records technician and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a medical records technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Medical Records Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Medical records technician vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between medical records technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Medical Records Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	45	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.8% Female, 81.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	8%

Differences between medical records technician and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Medical records technician example responsibilities.

Enter all patient in-take into EMR, manage triage, scheduling, and maintain a sterile clinic setting.
Manage medical treatment authorizations and durable medical equipment (DME) requests and verify medical eligibility for all patients requesting treatment.
Perform examinations in the ER, main radiology area and surgery.
Order medical records for patients, medical staff, outside entities, and court subpoenas for certain dates of services.
Audited/Validate daily outpatient medical coding accounts involving emergency rooms, surgery, interventional radiology, radiology, and ancillary services.
Staff education on EMR and industry regulations.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Medical records technician vs certified medical technician skills

Common medical records technician skills

Patients, 20%
Medical Terminology, 11%
HIPAA, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Medical Facilities, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Medical Records Technician vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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