Medical scribe vs patient care technician

The differences between medical scribes and patient care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a patient care technician has an average salary of $32,806, which is higher than the $30,045 average annual salary of a medical scribe.

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

Medical scribe vs patient care technician overview

	Medical Scribe	Patient Care Technician
Yearly salary	$30,045	$32,806
Hourly rate	$14.44	$15.77
Growth rate	16%	9%
Number of jobs	80,035	167,520
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	37	34
Years of experience	12	-

What does a medical scribe do?

As a medical scribe, their main responsibility is to follow a physician's daily work and do charting of patient encounters in real-time by accessing their medical electronic health record (EHR). It is their duty to make sure the patient schedules are followed, generate referral letters for physicians and manage and sort medical documents within the EHR. Medical scribes can be held as data custodians, medical assistants, and nurses to focus on patient in-take and care throughout clinic hours. In addition, they manage patient flow through the clinic and increase productivity to cater to more patients.

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 scribe vs patient care technician salary

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

	Medical Scribe	Patient Care Technician
Average salary	$30,045	$32,806
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	Between $24,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Rochester, NH
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Vermont
Best paying company	Boston Medical Center	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical scribe and patient care technician education

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

	Medical Scribe	Patient Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	-	Emory University

Medical scribe vs patient care technician demographics

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

	Medical Scribe	Patient Care Technician
Average age	37	34
Gender ratio	Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6%	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% Asian, 9.7% White, 50.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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 scribe and patient care technician duties and responsibilities

Medical scribe example responsibilities.

Manage sensitive and confidential materials such as patient health records following HIPAA regulations.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Rotate in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedic surgery, and burn medicine departments
Transcribe patient orders including laboratory tests results, radiology test findings, medications, allergies.
Utilize PC and LIS to enter and retrieve patient data, includes verifying orders and retrieving results using HIPAA compliance.
Perform Phlebotomy procedures on patients.

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 scribe vs patient care technician skills

Common medical scribe skills

Patients, 18%
Medical Terminology, 17%
Excellent Organizational, 10%
Physician Assistants, 8%
Emergency Medicine, 6%
HIPAA, 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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Medical Scribe
Medical Scribe vs Patient Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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