Surgical orderly vs certified medical technician

The differences between surgical orderlies and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $35,676 average annual salary of a surgical orderly.

The top three skills for a surgical orderly include patients, stretchers and patient transport. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Surgical orderly vs certified medical technician overview

	Surgical Orderly	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$35,676	$38,859
Hourly rate	$17.15	$18.68
Growth rate	9%	5%
Number of jobs	24,309	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	-	12

Surgical orderly vs certified medical technician salary

Surgical orderlies and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Surgical Orderly	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$35,676	$38,859
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $49,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between surgical orderly and certified medical technician education

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

	Surgical Orderly	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

Surgical orderly vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between surgical orderlies' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Surgical Orderly	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 82.2% Female, 17.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 27.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 48.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	8%	8%

Differences between surgical orderly and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Surgical orderly example responsibilities.

Manage medical records and document examination notes, prescriptions, and procedure details in EMR.
Provide patient with positive/negative pathology results, pre-op, assist, post-op and provide patient education regarding their procedures.
Prepare rooms and patients for surgery and assist Dr. during surgery with anesthesia delivery and monitoring and equipment.

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.

Surgical orderly vs certified medical technician skills

Common surgical orderly skills

Patients, 52%
Stretchers, 19%
Patient Transport, 13%
Surgical Equipment, 8%
Vital Signs, 3%
EKG, 2%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Surgical Orderly
Surgical Orderly vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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