Resident care assistant vs certified medical technician

The differences between resident care assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-3 months to become a resident care assistant, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $30,930 average annual salary of a resident care assistant.

The top three skills for a resident care assistant include resident care, customer service and patients. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Resident care assistant vs certified medical technician overview

	Resident Care Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$30,930	$38,859
Hourly rate	$14.87	$18.68
Growth rate	9%	5%
Number of jobs	199,892	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	42	44
Years of experience	3	12

What does a resident care assistant do?

Resident care assistants work with a group to care for residents with Alzheimer's disease, administer treatments, and chart their conditions. They manage intermediate care patients with EKG monitoring and epidural infusions. They assist residents with various forms of dementia to live while providing for their well-being. The assistants may also facilitate activities and games to engage residents with dementia. They assist residents in the dementia care unit with including dressing, showers, and bed baths. This position may require traits like integrity, compassion, and physical stamina.

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.

Resident care assistant vs certified medical technician salary

Resident care assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Resident Care Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$30,930	$38,859
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Chelsea, MA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between resident care assistant and certified medical technician education

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

	Resident Care Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

Resident care assistant vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between resident care assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Resident Care Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	42	44
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 6.6% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	7%	8%

Differences between resident care assistant and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Resident care assistant example responsibilities.

Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
Perform patient care, to include ADL's and assistance with ambulation and activities in an Alzheimer's unit.
Provide care and assistance with ADL's to the residents of the memory care and rehab units.
Work with a team to care for 48 residents with Alzheimer's disease, chart conditions, administer treatments
Assist client with: elastic support hose, condom catheter, indwelling catheter, emptying collection bag, hygiene.
Maintain distribution and tracking of telemetry packs for entire hospital.

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.

Resident care assistant vs certified medical technician skills

Common resident care assistant skills

Resident Care, 18%
Customer Service, 8%
Patients, 8%
Home Health, 8%
Compassion, 6%
Assist Residents, 5%

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 Support Industry
Resident Care Assistant
Resident Care Assistant vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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