What is a medical service technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

A medical service technician supports and maintains medical equipment and technical devices. They ensure that the equipment used in healthcare facilities is functioning properly and safely, and troubleshoot any issues that arise. Medical service technicians may work with various types of equipment, including imaging machines, patient monitoring systems, and surgical instruments. They are responsible for periodic maintenance, calibration, and repairs to ensure that the equipment is always in optimal condition.

What general advice would you give to a medical service technician?

Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA)

Faculty Coordinator of Allied Health/Medical Assistant Program Director, Midstate College

-LIKE- People who enjoy working as a Medical Assistant do it because they get a
great satisfaction from help other people. They are often the first contact with the
patient in the medical facility, which sets the tone for the rest of the visit.
They feel good making sure that their patients have the right information that they
need, the appropriate medical care they need, and helping patients feel better.
Good problem-solving skills, compassion, understanding, patience and keeping
up with a fast-paced office is very rewarding.
-DISLIKE- Some Medical Assistants have determined that there are
area/tasks/etc. that they dislike, listed below are some of these things:
 You’re always around people who are sick
 Long work hours can include 10 or 12-hour days
 Lower starting salary, which is usually based on education and
experience level
 Having to deal with stressful situations and difficult patients
 Dealing with patients who are angry, cranky, anxious or not feeling well
 Working under pressure from extremely tight deadlines

ScoreMedical Service TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $37,943

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 4.50%

Black or African American 6.48%

Hispanic or Latino 15.23%

Unknown 5.68%

White 67.29%

Gender

female 69.20%

male 30.80%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a medical service technician?

Pros

Job stability and demand
Ability to work in various settings (hospitals, clinics, labs)
Opportunities for further education and certifications
Hands-on experience with medical equipment and technology
Collaborative work environment with healthcare professionals

Cons

Physically demanding work (lifting, standing for long periods)
Exposure to infectious diseases and hazardous materials
High stress and pressure in emergencies
Continuous training and education requirements
Potential for workplace violence or injury.

Key steps to become a medical service technician

Explore medical service technician education requirements

Most common medical service technician degrees

Bachelor's

31.3 %

Associate

26.2 %

High School Diploma

17.1 %

Start to develop specific medical service technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	17.63%
Customer Service	5.75%
Vital Signs	4.70%
Infection Control	4.54%
Phlebotomy	4.08%

Complete relevant medical service technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical service technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical service technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical service technician resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed medical service technician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed medical service technician in most of states. 35 states require medical service technicians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Kentucky	Specific course required	Third-party exam required	Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
Maryland	Degree required	Third-party exam required	EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (PARAMEDIC) AND CARDIAC RESCUE
Alabama	-	-	Registered Intermediate Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Alaska	Specific course required	State exam required	Emergency Medical Technician
Arkansas	Specific course required	Third-party exam required	Emergency Medical Technician

Gain additional medical service technician certifications

Medical service technician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical service technician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for medical service technicians include Medical Assistant and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

More About Certifications

Research medical service technician duties and responsibilities

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Administer and document vaccinations and perform strep tests, finger sticks, urinalysis, and various need lab tests.
Run QC on all lab instrumentation ensuring reports are within acceptable limits.
Keep track of all POC inventory, reagents, QC materials and equipment validations.

Prepare your medical service technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical service technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical service technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical service technician resume templates

Build a professional medical service technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical service technician resume.

Apply for medical service technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a medical service technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do medical service technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Medical service technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2022

Pros

I like the Patient care part of the job. Seeing the patients get better and go home

Cons

Nothing

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2022