Private duty nurse vs certified medical technician

The differences between private duty nurses and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a private duty nurse, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a private duty nurse has an average salary of $55,518, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a private duty nurse include home health, patients and medication administration. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Private duty nurse vs certified medical technician overview

	Private Duty Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$55,518	$38,859
Hourly rate	$26.69	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	256,740	164,424
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a private duty nurse do?

A private duty nurse is responsible for providing quality health care services for a specific patient's medical needs. Private duty nurses work within a large health care institution or in a private household setting, depending on their scope and availability. They assist the medical staff in administering medications for the patients, conducting medical procedures, evaluating the patients' condition, and reporting progress and any updates to the attending physician for immediate attention. A private duty nurse must be highly attentive, especially on supporting the patient's daily activities and self-care needs.

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.

Private duty nurse vs certified medical technician salary

Private duty nurses and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Private Duty Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$55,518	$38,859
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $74,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Alaska
Best paying company	Health First	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between private duty nurse and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a private duty nurse and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Private Duty Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Connecticut

Private duty nurse vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between private duty nurses' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Private Duty Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 9.6% Female, 90.4%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% 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	9%	8%

Differences between private duty nurse and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Private duty nurse example responsibilities.

Manage Ventriculostomies and interpret ICP and CVP readings.
Manage patient care monitoring vital signs, performing physical assessment, checking patients medications for effectiveness.
Communicate with medicaid, and insurance companies to ensure patients receive appropriate care and payment of procedures and medication.
Provide daily assessments, ADL's medication management and any necessary medical treatments.
Monitor ventilator and oxygen saturation regularly; offer medication, treatments, and tracheostomy care.
Provide care to home bound individuals with tracheostomy, ventilator assistance patients, administration of medications, referrals

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.

Private duty nurse vs certified medical technician skills

Common private duty nurse skills

Home Health, 34%
Patients, 31%
Medication Administration, 3%
Hospice Care, 3%
Vital Signs, 3%
Trach Care, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

Private Duty Nurse vs. similar jobs

Private Duty Nurse related careers

Private Duty Nurse related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Private Duty Nurse
Private Duty Nurse vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs