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The differences between ophthalmic assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an ophthalmic assistant, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an ophthalmic assistant has an average salary of $43,217, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for an ophthalmic assistant include patients, patient care and ophthalmology. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Ophthalmic Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $43,217 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $20.78 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 21,559 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
An ophthalmic assistant works with an ophthalmologist and assists with recording patient information, updating patient records, and obtaining medical records. You may also be required to book and follow up on patient appointments. Ophthalmic assistants counsel patients about treatment and care and may be required to take ocular measurements of patients or administer medication. Ophthalmic assistants do a lot of customer service work giving patients information regarding eye care and explaining to patients procedures and medications.
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.
Ophthalmic assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Ophthalmic Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $43,217 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $62,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Eye Consultants of Atlanta | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an ophthalmic assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Ophthalmic Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between ophthalmic assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Ophthalmic Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 6% | 8% |