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The differences between optometric assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an optometric assistant and a certified medical technician. Additionally, an optometric assistant has an average salary of $98,734, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for an optometric assistant include patients, appointment scheduling and customer service. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Optometric Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $98,734 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $47.47 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 142,550 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 37 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
An optometric assistant performs a variety of support tasks to assist optometrists and maintain a smooth flow of operations at clinics. They typically greet clients and identify their eye and vision care needs, answer inquiries, gather patient histories and other information, prepare and assist the clients for vision tests, and administer eye drops. They may also perform clerical tasks such as processing documents, organizing files, handling calls and correspondence, liaising with external partners such as suppliers and vendors, and updating databases. Moreover, an optometric assistant may also adjust and repair glasses, all according to the clients' needs.
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.
Optometric assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Optometric Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $98,734 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $147,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | QPS | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an optometric assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Optometric Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between optometric assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Optometric Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 37 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 9.6% Female, 90.4% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.0% Asian, 9.8% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |