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Therapy technician vs clinical technician

The differences between therapy technicians and clinical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical technician has an average salary of $35,760, which is higher than the $28,943 average annual salary of a therapy technician.

The top three skills for a therapy technician include patients, rehabilitation and CPR. The most important skills for a clinical technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Therapy technician vs clinical technician overview

Therapy TechnicianClinical Technician
Yearly salary$28,943$35,760
Hourly rate$13.91$17.19
Growth rate24%9%
Number of jobs36,360161,812
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age4344
Years of experience-12

What does a therapy technician do?

A therapy technician is responsible for supporting therapists in providing the highest quality care services for the patients, administering treatment plans, and guiding patients to full recovery. Therapy technicians also perform administrative duties, such as updating patients' information on the database, monitoring patients' condition, reviewing medical charts, processing payments for therapy procedures, and performing medical examinations under the supervision of medical professionals. They operate various therapy equipment, inspect the performance of the machinery, and ask for maintenance support for repairs or replacement as needed.

What does a clinical technician do?

A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations. They also maintain medical charts, update patients' information on the database, and administer patients' medication. A clinical technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as strictly following internal guidelines and safety procedures during operations.

Therapy technician vs clinical technician salary

Therapy technicians and clinical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Therapy TechnicianClinical Technician
Average salary$28,943$35,760
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $37,000Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateWashingtonAlaska
Best paying companySeattle Cancer Care AllianceBrigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industryHealth CareGovernment

Differences between therapy technician and clinical technician education

There are a few differences between a therapy technician and a clinical technician in terms of educational background:

Therapy TechnicianClinical Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorKinesiologyNursing
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Connecticut

Therapy technician vs clinical technician demographics

Here are the differences between therapy technicians' and clinical technicians' demographics:

Therapy TechnicianClinical Technician
Average age4344
Gender ratioMale, 28.6% Female, 71.4%Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between therapy technician and clinical technician duties and responsibilities

Therapy technician example responsibilities.

  • Perform basic living care for patients and assist with exercises under supervision of a rehabilitation team member.
  • Provide patient assistance with rehabilitation protocol with appropriate education and technique while monitoring vital signs and effects of treatment.
  • Direct patients to need areas with crutches, wheel chairs, walkers, canes etc.
  • Work with the physical and occupational therapists to guide patients through prescribe exercise program efficiently and safely.
  • Prepare materials for assessments and provide assistance to individuals through hands-on methods and direct contact observations by assisting the rehabilitation supervisor.
  • Attend professional development workshops in augmentative communication devices, sign language, and skill integration.

Clinical technician example responsibilities.

  • Prepare QC and QA samples for validity testing.
  • Resolve issues from level 1 EMR support as well as EMR issues transfer from other departments.
  • Recognize life threatening situations and activate the emergency response system while assisting with CPR and code cart.
  • Report and document description of patient care information in EMR in accordance with hospital policy and procedure.
  • Participate in reviews and QC of external central laboratory contracts, sample kits and manuals and ensure accuracy.
  • Assist in advance and basic life support techniques, perform EKG's, blood withdrawal, and computer order entry.
  • Show more

Therapy technician vs clinical technician skills

Common therapy technician skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Rehabilitation, 14%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Patient Safety, 6%
  • Occupational Therapy, 5%
  • Physical Therapy, 5%
Common clinical technician skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Vital Signs, 8%
  • Phlebotomy, 7%
  • Direct Patient Care, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • EKG, 4%

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