Volunteer vs certified medical technician

The differences between volunteers and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a volunteer and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $31,227 average annual salary of a volunteer.

The top three skills for a volunteer include child care, patient charts and patient care. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Volunteer vs certified medical technician overview

	Volunteer	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$31,227	$38,859
Hourly rate	$15.01	$18.68
Growth rate	12%	5%
Number of jobs	9,583	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a volunteer do?

Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service. They may be employed in another organization, but they lend their time and talent to another organization or company to give back to the community. They raise funds, create awareness, and work on the ground. Volunteers usually choose a cause or advocacy close to their heart, such as teaching children, taking care of the elderly, coaching sports teams, cleaning up communities, and caring for animals.

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.

Volunteer vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Volunteer	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$31,227	$38,859
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $41,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between volunteer and certified medical technician education

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

	Volunteer	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	California State University - Fullerton	University of Connecticut

Volunteer vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Volunteer	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.3% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	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 volunteer and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Volunteer example responsibilities.

Develop and manage web presence, including Facebook account and other social media business accounts!
Train staff members on managing contacts, scheduling programs, and running analytic reports with the Salesforce program.
Lead team-building exercises and facilitate group discussions on leadership topics.
Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
Supervise and maintain safe play for children's soccer games.
Teach GED to refugees and survivors of torture seeking to enroll in college.

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.

Volunteer vs certified medical technician skills

Common volunteer skills

Child Care, 12%
Patient Charts, 10%
Patient Care, 10%
Front Desk, 9%
Community Outreach, 9%
Mathematics, 9%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Volunteer vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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