Medication aide vs medical service technician

The differences between medication aides and medical service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medication aide has an average salary of $40,799, which is higher than the $37,943 average annual salary of a medical service technician.

The top three skills for a medication aide include compassion, resident care and state regulations. The most important skills for a medical service technician are patients, customer service, and vital signs.

Medication aide vs medical service technician overview

	Medication Aide	Medical Service Technician
Yearly salary	$40,799	$37,943
Hourly rate	$19.61	$18.24
Growth rate	9%	7%
Number of jobs	275,582	189,362
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 23%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	42	36
Years of experience	3	-

What does a medication aide do?

A medication aide is a healthcare professional who is responsible for administering medication to patients daily in a hospital or medical facility. As certified nursing assistants, medication aides should possess knowledge of patient care procedures so that they can coordinate with different nurses to deliver them. They follow written or verbal instructions from physicians on how to manage their patients' medications. Medication aides are also required to observe their patients and document changes in their conditions.

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.

Medication aide vs medical service technician salary

Medication aides and medical service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medication Aide	Medical Service Technician
Average salary	$40,799	$37,943
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $50,000	Between $23,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Madison, WI	Salem, MA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Connecticut
Best paying company	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	Sunrise Systems
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between medication aide and medical service technician education

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

	Medication Aide	Medical Service Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 23%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Virginia

Medication aide vs medical service technician demographics

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

	Medication Aide	Medical Service Technician
Average age	42	36
Gender ratio	Male, 15.7% Female, 84.3%	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	7%	8%

Differences between medication aide and medical service technician duties and responsibilities

Medication aide example responsibilities.

Manage memory unity within facility.
Provide care for patients in need of long term care and rehabilitation.
Administer medication according to state laws and guidelines as well as facility guidelines and assist residents with ADL's.
preserve patient's dignity while providing such duties as bedpan changes, bathing, diapering, emptying catheter and colostomy bags.
Assist with changing colostomy bags.
learned to be more efficient with time restraints!

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.

Medication aide vs medical service technician skills

Common medication aide skills

Compassion, 11%
Resident Care, 11%
State Regulations, 8%
Infection Control, 7%
Incident Reports, 5%
Vital Signs, 5%

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
Medication Aide
Medication Aide vs Medical Service Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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