Medical service technician vs certified medical technician

The differences between medical service technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $37,943 average annual salary of a medical service technician.

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

Medical service technician vs certified medical technician overview

	Medical Service Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$37,943	$38,859
Hourly rate	$18.24	$18.68
Growth rate	7%	5%
Number of jobs	189,362	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	36	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a medical service technician do?

A medical service technician provides health care and treatments to patients under the supervision or directives of a more experienced physician. Most of their responsibilities revolve around assessing a patient's condition, administering required aid, diagnosing patients, conducting check-ups, and counseling patients. There are also instances when a medical service technician may prescribe medications, conduct inspections at facilities to ensure sanitary conditions, and coordinate with hospital staff for requesting supplies. Furthermore, it is crucial to have accurate documentation of all processes and transactions, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and standards.

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 service technician vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Medical Service Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$37,943	$38,859
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $61,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Salem, MA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	Sunrise Systems	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between medical service technician and certified medical technician education

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

	Medical Service Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Virginia	University of Connecticut

Medical service technician vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Medical Service Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	36	44
Gender ratio	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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	8%	8%

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

Medical service technician example 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.
Apply cold packs to affect injuries of the patient, fit crutches on patients.
Maintain all training and CPR certifications in order to actively participate in codes with in the hospital.

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 service technician vs certified medical technician skills

Common medical service technician skills

Patients, 18%
Customer Service, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%
Infection Control, 5%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Medical Service Technician
Medical Service Technician vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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