Specialty cook vs certified medical technician

The differences between specialty cooks 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 specialty cook, 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 $33,829 average annual salary of a specialty cook.

The top three skills for a specialty cook include food handling, culinary and kitchen equipment. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Specialty cook vs certified medical technician overview

	Specialty Cook	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$33,829	$38,859
Hourly rate	$16.26	$18.68
Growth rate	16%	5%
Number of jobs	141,369	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	4	12

Specialty cook vs certified medical technician salary

Specialty cooks and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Specialty Cook	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$33,829	$38,859
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Alaska
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between specialty cook and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a specialty cook and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Specialty Cook	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

Specialty cook vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between specialty cooks' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Specialty Cook	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 77.4% Female, 22.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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	6%	8%

Differences between specialty cook and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Specialty cook example responsibilities.

Work grill, saut, & expediter stations.
Complete culinary tasks using various cooking methods and techniques/ very good knife handling skills.
Work all stations, saut, grill, pantry, fryer, breakfast, in upscale American bistro.
Maintain cleanliness and a sanitary environment within kitchen area to meet all health and safety requirements.
Unload and store groceries and supplies.
Maintain balance inventories of groceries and supplies.

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.

Specialty cook vs certified medical technician skills

Common specialty cook skills

Food Handling, 23%
Culinary, 16%
Kitchen Equipment, 16%
Cuisine, 12%
Food Quality, 7%
Fine Dining, 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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Specialty Cook vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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