Ocean lifeguard vs certified medical technician

The differences between ocean lifeguards 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 $29,909 average annual salary of an ocean lifeguard.

The top three skills for an ocean lifeguard include public safety, EMT and emergency situations. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Ocean lifeguard vs certified medical technician overview

	Ocean Lifeguard	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$29,909	$38,859
Hourly rate	$14.38	$18.68
Growth rate	-	5%
Number of jobs	3,316	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	26	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does an ocean lifeguard do?

An Ocean Lifeguard maintains continuous surveillance of people in the area of a beach. They supervise swimmers to ensure that they are swimming in accordance with safety protocols.

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.

Ocean lifeguard vs certified medical technician salary

Ocean lifeguards and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ocean Lifeguard	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$29,909	$38,859
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $37,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between ocean lifeguard and certified medical technician education

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

	Ocean Lifeguard	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

Ocean lifeguard vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Ocean Lifeguard	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	26	44
Gender ratio	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 8.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.4% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	7%	8%

Differences between ocean lifeguard and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Ocean lifeguard example responsibilities.

Educate children in small groups about beach awareness, marine life, first aid and CPR.
Provide first aid treatment and CPR to patrons and maintain the beach while answering all patrons questions
Patrol or monitor recreational areas such as and swimming areas, on foot, in vehicles, or from towers.
Provide first responder medical emergency aid.
Receive extensive first responder and advance water-rescue training.
Coordinate and participate in patrol events and lifeguard competition.

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.

Ocean lifeguard vs certified medical technician skills

Common ocean lifeguard skills

Public Safety, 23%
EMT, 11%
Emergency Situations, 11%
Patrol, 10%
Responder, 7%
Emergency Response, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Protective Service Industry
Ocean Lifeguard
Ocean Lifeguard vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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