Patient care technician vs behavior technician

The differences between patient care technicians and behavior technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a behavior technician has an average salary of $38,026, which is higher than the $32,806 average annual salary of a patient care technician.

The top three skills for a patient care technician include patients, vital signs and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a behavior technician are autism, applied behavior analysis, and behavior analysis.

Patient care technician vs behavior technician overview

	Patient Care Technician	Behavior Technician
Yearly salary	$32,806	$38,026
Hourly rate	$15.77	$18.28
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	167,520	47,541
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	-	-

What does a patient care technician do?

Patient care technicians are medical workers who work in clinics, hospitals, or other medical facilities under the supervision of doctors or other health professionals. They provide assistance to health professionals and patients. They help patients with mobility concerns get into hospital beds, bathrooms, wheelchairs, and more. They also help patients with their physical therapy sessions and other physical needs. They handle patient concerns and communicate these to attending physicians. They may be assigned to administer basic medical procedures such as checking vital signs and collecting samples from patients, among others.

What does a behavior technician do?

The job of a behavioral technician is to offer mental health services to patients who struggle with behavior-related problems. Behavior technicians uphold the highest standard of quality of care. They are the ones who enforce learning programs like self-help, communication, and play skills. It is their duty to incorporate medical care training for parents, so caregivers or family members can support and teach skills during family activities. One must be good in written and verbal communication, can work with team members, and develop good interpersonal relationship skills to be a good technician.

Patient care technician vs behavior technician salary

Patient care technicians and behavior technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Care Technician	Behavior Technician
Average salary	$32,806	$38,026
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $43,000	Between $29,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NH	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Vermont	Hawaii
Best paying company	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	Ernst & Young
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between patient care technician and behavior technician education

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

	Patient Care Technician	Behavior Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	Emory University	Northwestern University

Patient care technician vs behavior technician demographics

Here are the differences between patient care technicians' and behavior technicians' demographics:

	Patient Care Technician	Behavior Technician
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%	Male, 26.5% Female, 73.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between patient care technician and behavior technician duties and responsibilities

Patient care technician example responsibilities.

Manage care and prepare medical records, transcription and supply orders.
Manage daily care of high acuity patients with neurological trauma/disorders and post-surgery.
Qualify to perform patient care responsibilities on catheter patients.
Transport patients using wheelchairs and stretchers and assist patients to ambulate safely.
Assist with transferring patients in and out of wheelchairs, recliners, and stretchers.
Apply protective restraints safely and appropriately, assist in the admission, discharge and transfer of patients as needed.

Behavior technician example responsibilities.

Manage and target behaviors using the ESDM, ABA, PRT and SCERTS model.
Teach family members and teachers different ways to achieve cooperation with child and transfer skills to ensure an efficient learning environment.
Have RBT credential from the BACB.
Work with kids with autism * run programs apply individually for each child
Provide ABA services to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Facilitate intensive in-home ABA services to children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Patient care technician vs behavior technician skills

Common patient care technician skills

Patients, 24%
Vital Signs, 9%
Phlebotomy, 7%
CPR, 6%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Common behavior technician skills

Autism, 25%
Applied Behavior Analysis, 19%
Behavior Analysis, 8%
BCBA, 5%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Social Work, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Patient Care Technician
Patient Care Technician vs Behavior Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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