Surveillance technician vs certified medical technician

The differences between surveillance technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a surveillance technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a surveillance technician has an average salary of $41,279, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a surveillance technician include ladders, CCTV and construction sites. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Surveillance technician vs certified medical technician overview

	Surveillance Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$41,279	$38,859
Hourly rate	$19.85	$18.68
Growth rate	9%	5%
Number of jobs	13,099	164,424
Job satisfaction	1	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a surveillance technician do?

A man without specific skills can't be the perfect man. Surveillance Technician, thus, needs to be tactful. He/She has to possess a wide range of exposure such as technical skills like electrical and video installation knowledge, maintenance skills such as drilling, wiring, cabling, and network administration skills.

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.

Surveillance technician vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Surveillance Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$41,279	$38,859
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $55,000	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 surveillance technician and certified medical technician education

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

	Surveillance Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Connecticut

Surveillance technician vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Surveillance Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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 surveillance technician and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Surveillance technician example responsibilities.

Manage implementation and networking of multi-million dollar tactical datalink architecture consisting of windows base and proprietary systems.
Manage numerous outdoor storage locations for government ammunition stockpiles while simultaneously providing rapid logistical support to facilitate employee training.
Switch over to digital recording which involve IP addressing cameras, video encoders, hard drive arrays, and Cisco switches.
Maintain hardware and software systems and manual records require to successfully perform stock control accounting procedures for ammunition and explosives.
Maintain physical control over all entrances to the SCIF.
Use of DoD equipment and technologies for surveillance monitoring.

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.

Surveillance technician vs certified medical technician skills

Common surveillance technician skills

Ladders, 10%
CCTV, 8%
Construction Sites, 7%
Surveillance Equipment, 7%
CST, 6%
Security Integrity, 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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Surveillance Technician vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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