Staff therapist vs certified medical technician

The differences between staff therapists 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 staff therapist and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a staff therapist has an average salary of $52,147, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a staff therapist include patients, individual therapy and mental health. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Staff therapist vs certified medical technician overview

	Staff Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$52,147	$38,859
Hourly rate	$25.07	$18.68
Growth rate	14%	5%
Number of jobs	101,575	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a staff therapist do?

A staff therapist is someone who assists in the treatment of patients using electrical stimulation, exercise, and other means of electrotherapy to regain their bodily functions. The core skills that a staff therapist should possess to accomplish their responsibilities include a keen eye for details and excellent mathematical and problem-solving skills. The job's education requirements include completing a physical therapy program and possessing a bachelor's degree in medical technician, physical work, occupational therapy, or a related field.

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.

Staff therapist vs certified medical technician salary

Staff therapists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$52,147	$38,859
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $77,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Stanford University	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between staff therapist and certified medical technician education

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

	Staff Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Nursing
Most common college	Boston University	University of Connecticut

Staff therapist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between staff therapists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Staff Therapist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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 staff therapist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Staff therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator care, intubation, arterial line placement, mechanical ventilation, BIPAP, and CPAP.
Lead RRT position involves direct resident care such as ventilator set up, changes, weaning, and maintaining.
Provide high-quality patient care in all areas of the facility including ICU, CCU, PACU, NICU and ER.
Chart record of patient therapy; teach patients proper use and administration of respiratory medication such as MDI s and spacers.
Conduct weekly Medicare, Medicaid and private pay reports, submit quality indicator and MDS reports and metrics for QA/QC reports.
Document resident progress using MDS weekly, quarterly, annually and significant changes regarding therapeutic activity pattern.

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.

Staff therapist vs certified medical technician skills

Common staff therapist skills

Patients, 17%
Individual Therapy, 16%
Mental Health, 7%
Group Therapy, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Physical Therapy, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

Staff Therapist vs. similar jobs

Staff Therapist related careers

Staff Therapist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Therapist
Staff Therapist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs