Patient care technician vs ekg technician

The differences between patient care technicians and ekg technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an ekg technician has an average salary of $35,160, 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 an ekg technician are patients, BLS, and patient care.

Patient care technician vs ekg technician overview

	Patient Care Technician	EKG Technician
Yearly salary	$32,806	$35,160
Hourly rate	$15.77	$16.90
Growth rate	9%	10%
Number of jobs	167,520	52,679
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	34	45
Years of experience	-	2

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 an ekg technician do?

An EKG technician is responsible for conducting laboratory tests using advanced equipment and machines to diagnose and identify patients' conditions with cardiovascular problems. EKG technicians must have excellent knowledge of the process to discuss the procedures and respond to the patients' inquiries and concerns accurately. They help the doctors in diagnosing patients and developing treatment plans upon the interpretation of the results. An EKG technician inspects the stability and efficiency of the equipment regularly to prevent delays and inconsistencies with the results.

Patient care technician vs ekg technician salary

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

	Patient Care Technician	EKG Technician
Average salary	$32,806	$35,160
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $43,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NH	Springfield, OR
Highest paying state	Vermont	North Dakota
Best paying company	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	UC Merced
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient care technician and ekg technician education

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

	Patient Care Technician	EKG Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Nursing	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Patient care technician vs ekg technician demographics

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

	Patient Care Technician	EKG Technician
Average age	34	45
Gender ratio	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%	Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	15%	8%

Differences between patient care technician and ekg 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.

Ekg technician example responsibilities.

Assist with placement and manage intra-aortic balloon pumps.
Monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate using electrocardiogram equipment during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
Assist physicians during codes by performing the ECG's and assisting with CPR.
Perform EKG and EEG examinations of patients to obtain graphic indications of heart activity
Conduct electrocardiogram and other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity using specialize electronic test equipment and recording devices.
Obtain ECG records of events; assist emergency situations by initiating and/or assisting in emergency procedures prescribe by hospital policies.

Patient care technician vs ekg technician skills

Common patient care technician skills

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

Common ekg technician skills

Patients, 24%
BLS, 9%
Patient Care, 7%
Electrocardiogram, 5%
CPR, 4%
ECG, 3%

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Patient Care Technician
Patient Care Technician vs EKG Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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