Patient care technician vs monitor technician

The differences between patient care technicians and monitor technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a monitor technician has an average salary of $35,460, 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 monitor technician are patients, EKG, and BLS.

Patient care technician vs monitor technician overview

	Patient Care Technician	Monitor Technician
Yearly salary	$32,806	$35,460
Hourly rate	$15.77	$17.05
Growth rate	9%	10%
Number of jobs	167,520	56,963
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
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 a monitor technician do?

A monitor technician works in hospitals and other health care centers that provide treatment relating to heart health. They are also known as cardiac monitor technicians, who assist physicians and nurses with diagnosing and interpreting conditions related to the heart through several methods of monitoring and testing. Most of their work includes using machines and other medical technology in tracking patients' heart performance and check for any possible abnormalities. They monitor irregular heartbeats, arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest. They also use this technology to perform various tests on the heart but typically do not provide treatment.

Patient care technician vs monitor technician salary

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

	Patient Care Technician	Monitor Technician
Average salary	$32,806	$35,460
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $43,000	Between $28,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, NH	Medford, OR
Highest paying state	Vermont	Utah
Best paying company	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	MLK Community Healthcare
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient care technician and monitor technician education

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

	Patient Care Technician	Monitor Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 27%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Emory University	Duke University

Patient care technician vs monitor technician demographics

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

	Patient Care Technician	Monitor Technician
Average age	34	45
Gender ratio	Male, 19.0% Female, 81.0%	Male, 34.7% Female, 65.3%
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, 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 monitor 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.

Monitor technician example responsibilities.

Assist with placement and manage intra-aortic balloon pumps.
Operate electrocardiogram (EKG), cardiac treadmill testing equipment and record data.
Administer care to patients in a LATC setting, support with ambulation and rehabilitation procedure.
Ensure telemetry boxes are returned from the floors when patients are discharge or transfer to ICU.
Work in a very large hospital system doing EEG's on premature infants to geriatric patients.
Monitor heart rhythm patterns, record and report normal and abnormal heart rhythm patterns and ECG interval measurements utilizing telemetry equipment.

Patient care technician vs monitor technician skills

Common patient care technician skills

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

Common monitor technician skills

Patients, 21%
EKG, 12%
BLS, 8%
Medical Terminology, 6%
Cardiac Rhythms, 6%
Arrhythmia, 4%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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