Therapy technician vs health technician

The differences between therapy technicians and health technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health technician has an average salary of $37,873, 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 health technician are patients, excellent interpersonal, and customer service.

Therapy technician vs health technician overview

	Therapy Technician	Health Technician
Yearly salary	$28,943	$37,873
Hourly rate	$13.91	$18.21
Growth rate	24%	9%
Number of jobs	36,360	110,277
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	43	34
Years of experience	-	-

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 health technician do?

A health technician is responsible for supporting medical operations in a health care facility by performing administrative and clerical duties, ensuring that the organization provides the highest quality care service to the patients. Health technicians process patients' information, manage their medical payments, monitor their conditions as instructed by physicians, maintain an organized medical chart, administer medication, and assist in conducting medical procedures. They also check the adequacy of stock inventories and write request reports, as well as inspecting the cleanliness of all the medical tools and equipment during operations.

Therapy technician vs health technician salary

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

	Therapy Technician	Health Technician
Average salary	$28,943	$37,873
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $27,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Seattle Cancer Care Alliance	Meta
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between therapy technician and health technician education

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

	Therapy Technician	Health Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Emory University

Therapy technician vs health technician demographics

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

	Therapy Technician	Health Technician
Average age	43	34
Gender ratio	Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4%	Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
Race ratio	Black 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, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	15%

Differences between therapy technician and health 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.

Health technician example responsibilities.

Maintain and manage medical and administrative records for all patients assign to clinic area to assure accurate care and patient confidentiality.
Supervise labs, diets, schedule radiology procedures, EKG's, respiratory, and medical tasks for patients.
Can perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid, and/or initiate appropriate emergency alert notifications.
Administer ABA therapy for children with autism and provide support for other technicians when not with own clients.
Assist providers in direct physical examinations, minor procedures, emergency care to include CPR, and other clinical duties.
Assist children with autism spectrum disorders in learning life still and helping them transition successfully in all aspects of their lives.

Therapy technician vs health technician skills

Common therapy technician skills

Patients, 23%
Rehabilitation, 14%
CPR, 8%
Patient Safety, 6%
Occupational Therapy, 5%
Physical Therapy, 5%

Common health technician skills

Patients, 18%
Excellent Interpersonal, 8%
Customer Service, 8%
Blood Pressure, 6%
Veterans, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Therapy Technician
Therapy Technician vs Health Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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