Patient care specialist vs certified medical technician

The differences between patient care specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a patient care specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $34,157 average annual salary of a patient care specialist.

The top three skills for a patient care specialist include patients, patient care and data entry. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Patient care specialist vs certified medical technician overview

	Patient Care Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$34,157	$38,859
Hourly rate	$16.42	$18.68
Growth rate	-4%	5%
Number of jobs	146,861	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	4	12

What does a patient care specialist do?

A patient service or care specialist works at different medical facilities. Primary responsibilities include checking patients in and out, scheduling follow-up appointments as well as checking patient eligibility for services or programs. Patient service specialists should maintain a systematic referral log to correlate patient referrals to other specialists. Applicants for the job should have the basic computer knowledge to effectively manage data of patient's files, knowledge of medical terminologies, and possess good interpersonal and customer service skills.

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.

Patient care specialist vs certified medical technician salary

Patient care specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Care Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$34,157	$38,859
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $55,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	KPG	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient care specialist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a patient care specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Patient Care Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Patient care specialist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between patient care specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Patient Care Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 6.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 patient care specialist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Patient care specialist example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Utilize software applications to document call interactions using medical terminology and responsible for initially engaging patients by explaining the services.
Verify CPT codes along with diagnosis code for guarantee payment for surgeries.
Process daily fee tickets and correctly enter office visit ICD 9 and CPT codes into the system for billing.
Adhere to HIPPA confidentiality guidelines.
Track Medicaid eligibility of clients.

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.

Patient care specialist vs certified medical technician skills

Common patient care specialist skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Care, 17%
Data Entry, 5%
Medical Terminology, 4%
CPT, 2%
CPR, 2%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Patient Care Specialist
Patient Care Specialist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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