Medical specialist vs medical service technician

The differences between medical specialists and medical service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical specialist has an average salary of $40,277, which is higher than the $37,943 average annual salary of a medical service technician.

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

Medical specialist vs medical service technician overview

	Medical Specialist	Medical Service Technician
Yearly salary	$40,277	$37,943
Hourly rate	$19.36	$18.24
Growth rate	16%	7%
Number of jobs	68,607	189,362
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	37	36
Years of experience	12	-

What does a medical specialist do?

Medical specialists are responsible for diagnosing patients and performing medical procedures according to their areas of expertise. They coordinate with the clinical team on administering medications, conducting laboratory examinations, and monitoring admitted patients, ensuring that they receive high-quality care services from the medical staff. A medical specialist also communicates with the patients' families to respond to their medical inquiries and concerns, as well as providing them with updates on the patients' progress. A medical specialist observes the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities at all times, including the inspection of medical tools and equipment for operations.

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.

Medical specialist vs medical service technician salary

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

	Medical Specialist	Medical Service Technician
Average salary	$40,277	$37,943
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $75,000	Between $23,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Salem, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Connecticut
Best paying company	Adobe	Sunrise Systems
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between medical specialist and medical service technician education

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

	Medical Specialist	Medical Service Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Virginia

Medical specialist vs medical service technician demographics

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

	Medical Specialist	Medical Service Technician
Average age	37	36
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between medical specialist and medical service technician duties and responsibilities

Medical specialist example responsibilities.

Administer first aid, medication, emergency medical treatment, CPR, triage, and evacuation procedures.
Provide tactical medical instruction and services in emergency medical care of patients in austere and complex, out-of-hospital environments.
Provide mass casualty triage support, including administering emergency treatment, stabilizing patients, and routing them to appropriate medical facilities.
Provide wound care, sutures, injections, and CPR as needed.
Take vitals, = collecting co-pays, appt scheduling, radiology scheduling, triage, etc.
Operate equipment such as: electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, and bag-valve mask resuscitators in advance life-support environments.

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.

Medical specialist vs medical service technician skills

Common medical specialist skills

Patients, 21%
Customer Service, 8%
Patient Care, 7%
Utilization Management, 5%
Medical Management, 4%
Patient Education, 4%

Common medical service technician skills

Patients, 18%
Customer Service, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%
Infection Control, 5%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Medical Specialist
Medical Specialist vs Medical Service Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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