Per diem physical therapist vs certified medical technician

The differences between per diem physical therapists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a per diem physical therapist has an average salary of $74,590, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a per diem physical therapist include patients, rehabilitation and per diem. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Per diem physical therapist vs certified medical technician overview

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$74,590	$38,859
Hourly rate	$35.86	$18.68
Growth rate	17%	5%
Number of jobs	87,365	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a per diem physical therapist do?

A per diem physical therapist is responsible for performing therapy treatments for patients when the institution is short-staffed for therapists. These therapists design recovery plans to help ease patients with their movements and daily activities after suffering from injury, illness, and other medical conditions. They diagnose patients to evaluate treatment methods, observe their progress every session, and modify plans until the final recovery. A per diem physical therapist operate various tools and equipment, schedule treatment appointments, and monitor the patients' medications.

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.

Per diem physical therapist vs certified medical technician salary

Per diem physical therapists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$74,590	$38,859
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $108,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Alameda Health System	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between per diem physical therapist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a per diem physical therapist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Nursing
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Connecticut

Per diem physical therapist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between per diem physical therapists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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 per diem physical therapist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Per diem physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Help patients adapt to the use of braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devices as needed.
Assist patients to adapt to the use of wheelchairs, braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devises.
Provide patient care in a SNF setting with the primary emphasis on transitioning patients from hospital to home.
Provide assessments and documentation for adaptive equipment.
Supervise PTAs and physical therapy aides in direct patient-relate activities.

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.

Per diem physical therapist vs certified medical technician skills

Common per diem physical therapist skills

Patients, 26%
Rehabilitation, 16%
Per Diem, 14%
Home Health, 10%
Treatment Programs, 6%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Per Diem Physical Therapist
Per Diem Physical Therapist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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