Patient relations director vs certified medical technician

The differences between patient relations directors and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a patient relations director, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a patient relations director has an average salary of $94,921, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a patient relations director include patients, patient care and patient safety. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Patient relations director vs certified medical technician overview

	Patient Relations Director	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$94,921	$38,859
Hourly rate	$45.64	$18.68
Growth rate	28%	5%
Number of jobs	91,308	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	6	12

What does a patient relations director do?

A patient relations director is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the efforts in maintaining an active communication line between patients and health care providers. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to improve client interactions, liaising with patients and their families, answering inquiries, and providing information assistance as needed. They must also address the concerns and issues raised by patients or families, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a patient relations director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals, all while implementing the hospital's policies and regulations.

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 relations director vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Patient Relations Director	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$94,921	$38,859
Salary range	Between $61,000 And $145,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	North Las Vegas, NV	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Nevada	Alaska
Best paying company	AstraZeneca	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between patient relations director and certified medical technician education

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

	Patient Relations Director	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Patient relations director vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Patient Relations Director	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.2% 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	12%	8%

Differences between patient relations director and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Patient relations director example responsibilities.

Manage oversight to joint commission and other regulatory requirements.
Lead interdisciplinary teams working on quality improvement initiatives and prepare for a JCAHO survey.
Coach staff on hospital systems such as CMS, IEX, CTI and TCS.
Maintain monthly reports, payroll, and budget.
Create bi-weekly schedule for staff, approve PTO's & vacation requests.
Cover shifts for outlying facilities when either PTO is taken or employees call out.

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 relations director vs certified medical technician skills

Common patient relations director skills

Patients, 21%
Patient Care, 9%
Patient Safety, 7%
Revenue Cycle, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Acute Care, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Patient Relations Director
Patient Relations Director vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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