Patient care technician vs behavioral technician

The differences between patient care technicians and behavioral technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a behavioral technician has an average salary of $33,282, 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 behavioral technician are autism, applied behavior analysis, and behavior analysis.

Patient care technician vs behavioral technician overview

	Patient Care Technician	Behavioral Technician
Yearly salary	$32,806	$33,282
Hourly rate	$15.77	$16.00
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	167,520	45,287
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
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 behavioral technician do?

A behavioral technician is responsible for supporting patients to overcome their behavior problems and difficulties. Behavioral technicians evaluate the patient's condition through counseling and administer behavioral treatment plans according to the patients' needs. They also coordinate with other physicians and mental health professionals for medications and more serious medical support as needed. A behavioral technician assists the patients in their daily activities, observe their social and personal behaviors, write progress reports, and develop engaging activities that would help them bring back a healthy lifestyle and growth.

Patient care technician vs behavioral technician salary

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

	Patient Care Technician	Behavioral Technician
Average salary	$32,806	$33,282
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $43,000	Between $24,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NH	Somerville, MA
Highest paying state	Vermont	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	Missouri State University
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between patient care technician and behavioral technician education

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

	Patient Care Technician	Behavioral Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	Emory University	Johns Hopkins University

Patient care technician vs behavioral technician demographics

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

	Patient Care Technician	Behavioral Technician
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%	Male, 32.7% Female, 67.3%
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 behavioral 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.

Behavioral technician example responsibilities.

Manage the behavior of students using the CPI training skills when necessary.
Train in CPR and restraint techniques, as well as behavioral training to detect the precursors to behavioral issues.
Experience with individuals of all ages affect by autism and other behavioral, developmental or communication disorders
Implement behavioral support plans provide and produce by apply behavior analysts for individual consumers diagnose with autism spectrum disorder.
Facilitate psycho-social education groups with interventions used but not limit to motivational interviewing, mental rehabilitation and think processes.
Provide observation, documentation and communication of patient behavioral and verbal responses /reactions between patients and between patients and staff.

Patient care technician vs behavioral technician skills

Common patient care technician skills

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

Common behavioral technician skills

Autism, 18%
Applied Behavior Analysis, 13%
Behavior Analysis, 12%
CPR, 7%
Autism Spectrum Disorder, 5%
Patients, 4%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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