Physician assistant student vs certified medical technician

The differences between physician assistant students and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physician assistant student has an average salary of $139,236, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a physician assistant student include patients, physical exams and emergency medicine. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Physician assistant student vs certified medical technician overview

	Physician Assistant Student	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$139,236	$38,859
Hourly rate	$66.94	$18.68
Growth rate	28%	5%
Number of jobs	58,769	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	39	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a physician assistant student do?

Physician assistant students enjoy salaries of $80K to $84K per year and must have 2 years of postgraduate education. This position calls for skills in communication, practice-based learning environments, and professionalism. Those who choose this career will be expected to provide diagnostic and therapeutic patient care, take patient histories, perform physical exams, order lab and diagnostic work, and administer precise 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.

Physician assistant student vs certified medical technician salary

Physician assistant students and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician Assistant Student	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$139,236	$38,859
Salary range	Between $80,000 And $240,000	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 physician assistant student and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a physician assistant student and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Physician Assistant Student	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Connecticut

Physician assistant student vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between physician assistant students' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Physician Assistant Student	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	39	44
Gender ratio	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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 physician assistant student and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Physician assistant student example responsibilities.

Perform therapeutic procedures by administering injections and immunizations; suturing; managing wounds and infections.
Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Obtain a detail medical and psychiatry history from each patient.
Train in current cardiology standards of care and appropriate medications.
Conduct procedure-based interventions including suturing, incision and drainage, splinting, and administration of local anesthesia.
Perform well and sick visits, consisting of both comprehensive and focuse history and physical examinations of pediatric patients, respectively.

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.

Physician assistant student vs certified medical technician skills

Common physician assistant student skills

Patients, 19%
Physical Exams, 7%
Emergency Medicine, 6%
Family Medicine, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Internal Medicine, 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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Physician Assistant Student
Physician Assistant Student vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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