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The differences between psychological assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a psychological assistant and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a psychological assistant has an average salary of $68,862, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a psychological assistant include patients, crisis intervention and mental illness. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Psychological Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $68,862 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $33.11 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 90,785 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A psychological assistant primarily performs support tasks to assist a psychologist in treating patients at a medical facility. Their duties focus on helping patients by answering inquiries, giving instructions, explaining procedures, gathering requirements, and conducting initial assessments. They can participate in serving the patients under the supervision and directives of a licensed psychologist. Additionally, a psychological assistant may also participate in conducting research, preparing and processing necessary paperwork, handling calls and other forms of correspondence, and attending meetings and seminars.
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.
Psychological assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychological Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $68,862 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $105,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sparks, NV | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Alaska |
| Best paying company | New York University | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a psychological assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Psychological Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between psychological assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Psychological Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.9% White, 50.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.0% | 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 | 11% | 8% |