Utilization review nurse vs certified medical technician

The differences between utilization review nurses 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 utilization review nurse, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a utilization review nurse has an average salary of $65,425, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a utilization review nurse include medical necessity, patients and acute care. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Utilization review nurse vs certified medical technician overview

	Utilization Review Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$65,425	$38,859
Hourly rate	$31.45	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	29,776	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a utilization review nurse do?

The primary role of an Utilization Review Nurse is to analyze the condition of each patient carefully and decide if the patient still needs to stay in the hospital or be sent home. They deal with patients' relatives, doctors, and people from insurance companies.

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.

Utilization review nurse vs certified medical technician salary

Utilization review nurses and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Utilization Review Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$65,425	$38,859
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $89,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Alameda, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Alaska
Best paying company	Molina Healthcare	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between utilization review nurse and certified medical technician education

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

	Utilization Review Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Connecticut

Utilization review nurse vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between utilization review nurses' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Utilization Review Nurse	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 8.5% Female, 91.5%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	9%	8%

Differences between utilization review nurse and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Utilization review nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Case management for acute patients refer to LTC
Advise insurance carriers on recommend reimbursement for charges following automate bill audit utilizing ICD-9 and CPT codes.
Provide caregiver oversight relate to care, medication administration and emergency situations.
Identify inappropriate utilization of services/settings through the application of establish clinical criteria using InterQual and CMS guidelines for medical necessity.
Direct contact with IPA providers.

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.

Utilization review nurse vs certified medical technician skills

Common utilization review nurse skills

Medical Necessity, 9%
Patients, 7%
Acute Care, 7%
Discharge Planning, 7%
Utilization Management, 6%
Utilization Review, 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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Utilization Review Nurse
Utilization Review Nurse vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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