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The differences between tow truck operators 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 tow truck operator, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a tow truck operator has an average salary of $43,448, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a tow truck operator include transport vehicles, tow truck and DOT. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Tow Truck Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $43,448 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $20.89 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 72,416 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A Tow Truck Operator works with a towing company and assists with removing damaged vehicles from accident scenes or broken down vehicles that have been abandoned at the request of the owner of the vehicle or the owner of the property. Typically, the tow truck operator's duties start first by receiving a call from a dispatcher and then driving to the accident or breakdown scene. He/She connects the vehicle to the tow truck and transports it to its final destination, a junkyard or a service station.
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.
Tow truck operators and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tow Truck Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $43,448 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $62,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Longview, WA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | 7th Street Casino | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a tow truck operator and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Tow Truck Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between tow truck operators' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Tow Truck Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 4% | 8% |