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The differences between nurse technicians and monitor technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-3 months to become a nurse technician, becoming a monitor technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a monitor technician has an average salary of $35,460, which is higher than the $33,005 average annual salary of a nurse technician.
The top three skills for a nurse technician include patients, CPR and vital signs. The most important skills for a monitor technician are patients, EKG, and BLS.
| Nurse Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $33,005 | $35,460 |
| Hourly rate | $15.87 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 195,553 | 56,963 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 2 |
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
A monitor technician works in hospitals and other health care centers that provide treatment relating to heart health. They are also known as cardiac monitor technicians, who assist physicians and nurses with diagnosing and interpreting conditions related to the heart through several methods of monitoring and testing. Most of their work includes using machines and other medical technology in tracking patients' heart performance and check for any possible abnormalities. They monitor irregular heartbeats, arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest. They also use this technology to perform various tests on the heart but typically do not provide treatment.
Nurse technicians and monitor technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Average salary | $33,005 | $35,460 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $28,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Medford, OR |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Utah |
| Best paying company | Carondelet High School | MLK Community Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nurse technician and a monitor technician in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 33% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | Duke University |
Here are the differences between nurse technicians' and monitor technicians' demographics:
| Nurse Technician | Monitor Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% | Male, 34.7% Female, 65.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 8% |