What does a Health Technician do?
A Health Technician provides direct care to patients but often without the medical responsibilities of a Nurse or Doctor. Health Technicians often work in an assistive capacity, completing tasks that help the patient, including ambulatory assistance.
Health Technician skills and qualifications
Depending on their specialty and expected work environment, Health Technicians may have the following skills:
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including recordkeeping and information relay
- Familiarity with medical terminology and equipment
- Ability to take vital signs and perform approved tests, such as an electrocardiogram (EKG), mammogram or point-of-care testing (POCT)
- Ability to collaborate with the patient’s full medical team
- Knowledge of local regulations, proper sanitation procedures and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines
Health Technician experience requirements
You may expect Health Technician applicants to demonstrate hands-on experience with patient care, specimen collection, medical recordkeeping and medication administration.
Job descriptions for advanced Health Technician positions may require experience in different specialties, such as mental health, phlebotomy or emergency medicine.
Health Technician education and training requirements
Depending on your current team, you may hire candidates with relevant skills or an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. This role doesn’t typically require formal education, so you may choose to use a skills-first hiring approach instead of basing your hiring decision on education or work experience.
Your Healthcare Technician job description should also include training requirements, starting with relevant certifications required by your company and local regulations. This likely includes a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) through the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) or the American Red Cross’ Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification.
Some specializations may require other certifications, such as a Certified Mental Health Technician (CMHT) designation or training in phlebotomy. Histotechnicians, Health Technicians who prepare tissue samples for review, must be certified by a program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).
Health Technician salary expectations
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for a Health Technician is $47,470 per year. Salary offerings in your job description may differ based on expectations for candidate experience, specialty, location and facility or company type.
Health Technician salary expectations
-
Common salary:
19.87 HOURLY -
Typical salaries range from
7.25 -42.60 HOURLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
Job description samples for similar positions
For more inspiration when creating your Health Technician job description, consider reading through these related job description options:
- Mental Health Technician
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Nursing Assistant
- State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA)
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