Unit supervisor vs certified medical technician

The differences between unit supervisors and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a unit supervisor, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a unit supervisor has an average salary of $48,749, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a unit supervisor include patients, corrective action and social work. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Unit supervisor vs certified medical technician overview

	Unit Supervisor	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$48,749	$38,859
Hourly rate	$23.44	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	37,120	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	6	12

What does a unit supervisor do?

A unit supervisor oversees and supervises employees, ensuring that work operations adhere to standards, guidelines, timelines, and budget. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their industry or company of employment, they are typically in charge of conducting regular inspections and assessments, setting objectives and guidelines, delegating responsibilities among staff, and producing progress reports, submitting them to higher-ranking managers. Moreover, aside from leading teams to reach goals, a unit supervisor also trains new members of the workforce, provides technical support to staff, and resolves issues and concerns to maintain smooth operations.

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.

Unit supervisor vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Unit Supervisor	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$48,749	$38,859
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $78,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Berkshire Hathaway	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between unit supervisor and certified medical technician education

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

	Unit Supervisor	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Connecticut

Unit supervisor vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Unit Supervisor	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 unit supervisor and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Unit supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
Document patient information and recording information correctly, as well as ensuring other workers are following OSHA and HIPAA requirements.
Attend weekly QA collaboration meetings and actively participate in discussions.
Utilize Kaizen activities to drive continuous process and quality improvements.
Submit MDS assessments to CMS timely and organize documentation for timely filing.
Evaluate admissions for Medicare/ Medicaid eligibility; prepare MDS and PPS documentation.

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.

Unit supervisor vs certified medical technician skills

Common unit supervisor skills

Patients, 11%
Corrective Action, 10%
Social Work, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Conflict Resolution, 6%
Direct Supervision, 6%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Unit Supervisor vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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