Vocational specialist vs certified medical technician

The differences between vocational specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $37,486 average annual salary of a vocational specialist.

The top three skills for a vocational specialist include rehabilitation, social work and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Vocational specialist vs certified medical technician overview

	Vocational Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$37,486	$38,859
Hourly rate	$18.02	$18.68
Growth rate	10%	5%
Number of jobs	33,643	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	42	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a vocational specialist do?

Vocational Specialists are responsible for assisting individuals in finding out their career choices. They interview clients to assess their skills, job history, and personality. Their duties include matching a client's education, training, interests, and experiences to an available job position. They organize aptitude tests to assist the client make career options. They also help with résumé preparation or modification, maintaining client records, arranging reports, and correspondence. Vocal Specialists give support for individuals in times of layoffs or job losses.

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.

Vocational specialist vs certified medical technician salary

Vocational specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Vocational Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$37,486	$38,859
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $46,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Pittsburg, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	New York State Restaurant Association	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between vocational specialist and certified medical technician education

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

	Vocational Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Connecticut

Vocational specialist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between vocational specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Vocational Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	42	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	11%	8%

Differences between vocational specialist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Vocational specialist example responsibilities.

Conduct therapeutic and vocational rehabilitation groups for individuals who are diagnosed with a severe mental illness.
Facilitate vocational rehabilitation groups weekly.
Conduct initial interviews with individuals to determine if the situation warrant further investigation by EEO Specialists/investigators.
Document all activities including rationale for decisions in accordance with DARS policies and procedures.
Assist clients preparing to transition with housing applications and or locating low income and or affordable housing.
Facilitate vocational rehabilitation groups weekly.

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.

Vocational specialist vs certified medical technician skills

Common vocational specialist skills

Rehabilitation, 14%
Social Work, 11%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Substance Abuse, 6%
Competitive Employment, 5%
Vocational Rehabilitation, 5%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Vocational Specialist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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