Patient coordinator vs certified medical technician

The differences between patient coordinators 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 coordinator, 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 $32,954 average annual salary of a patient coordinator.

The top three skills for a patient coordinator include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Patient coordinator vs certified medical technician overview

	Patient Coordinator	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$32,954	$38,859
Hourly rate	$15.84	$18.68
Growth rate	-4%	5%
Number of jobs	97,878	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 coordinator do?

A patient coordinator functions as the primary point of contact between health care professionals and patients in a medical facility. They mostly perform administrative tasks such as greeting visitors, answering calls, responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments, processing payments, gathering information, and keeping records. Moreover, they assist in filling out forms, escorting patients to different rooms or offices, and setting treatment plans. Most importantly, they discuss and share necessary information with patients and families regarding medications, procedures, and proceeding care according to a physician's assessment.

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 coordinator vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Patient Coordinator	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$32,954	$38,859
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Brockton, MA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient coordinator and certified medical technician education

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

	Patient Coordinator	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 coordinator vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Patient Coordinator	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 25.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 51.4% 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 coordinator and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Patient coordinator example responsibilities.

Comply with HIPAA regulations by discreetly and professionally handling all patients private medical information.
Gather personal plus insurance information and perform thorough insurance breakdowns for patients.
Communicate directly with patients to obtain initial patient information and respond to inquiries.
Process and update HIPAA relate paperwork and other require institutional forms as necessary.
Obtain all necessary documentation prior to surgery such as proof of identification, copy of insurance and require insurance referrals.
Respond in writing to all grievances in accordance with CMS and DNV guidelines.

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 coordinator vs certified medical technician skills

Common patient coordinator skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 6%
Patient Flow, 5%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Check-In, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

Patient Coordinator vs. similar jobs

Patient Coordinator related careers

Patient Coordinator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Coordinator
Patient Coordinator vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs