Pen rider vs certified medical technician

The differences between pen riders and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pen rider has an average salary of $50,738, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a pen rider include stray animals, yard maintenance and computer system. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Pen rider vs certified medical technician overview

	Pen Rider	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$50,738	$38,859
Hourly rate	$24.39	$18.68
Growth rate	1%	5%
Number of jobs	3,091	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a pen rider do?

A pen rider looks after a large herd of cattle, usually in a ranch setting, by monitoring and moving the cattle in a pen. Modern pen riders are trained animal care specialists who must also be excellent on horseback. Pen riders monitor animals for sickness or distress and isolate the sick from a herd for care. They are also responsible for moving herds through different pens for feeding, veterinary services, milking, and any other farm operation.

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.

Pen rider vs certified medical technician salary

Pen riders and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pen Rider	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$50,738	$38,859
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $106,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between pen rider and certified medical technician education

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

	Pen Rider	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Animal Science	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

Pen rider vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between pen riders' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Pen Rider	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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	3%	8%

Differences between pen rider and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Pen rider example responsibilities.

Review water orders and contact customers determining total CFS need daily.
Review water orders and contact customers determining total CFS need daily.

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.

Pen rider vs certified medical technician skills

Common pen rider skills

Stray Animals, 91%
Yard Maintenance, 6%
Computer System, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Pen Rider vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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