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The differences between protective service specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a protective service specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a protective service specialist has an average salary of $50,293, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a protective service specialist include social work, child safety and foster care. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Protective Service Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,293 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $24.18 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 81,211 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Protective Service Specialists provide information to individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency through child support services and employment opportunities. Most of these specialists recommend family services include parenting education, drug counseling, and financial base services. They review applicant documentation to determine eligibility for federal and state aid programs, including food stamps, Medicaid, and emergency assistance. Also, protective service specialists assist families with the resources that can help resolve the issues that risk the children's placement. They may even provide staff supervision about referrals obtained to ensure that they meet the criteria for services and intervention.
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.
Protective service specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Protective Service Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,293 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $76,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Parsons | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a protective service specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Protective Service Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Nursing |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between protective service specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Protective Service Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | 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 | 10% | 8% |