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The differences between biology laboratory technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a biology laboratory technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $38,514 average annual salary of a biology laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a biology laboratory technician include lab equipment, molecular biology and chemistry. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Biology Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,514 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $18.52 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 45,470 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A biological technician assists medical and biological scientists in conducting laboratory experiments and tests. As a biological technician, you will perform a variety of tasks that include setting up, maintaining, and cleaning laboratory equipment and instruments such as test tubes and microscopes, collecting and preparing biological samples, and analyzing experimental data, and interpreting results. In addition, you will assist medical scientists by administering new treatments and medicines to laboratory animals. You will also perform different techniques such as specimen staining to aid identification.
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.
Biology laboratory technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Biology Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,514 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $50,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | University of California | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a biology laboratory technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Biology Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between biology laboratory technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Biology Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 12.7% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% | 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 | 6% | 8% |