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The differences between certified medical technicians and laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a certified medical technician and a laboratory assistant. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $34,168 average annual salary of a laboratory assistant.
The top three skills for a certified medical technician include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and customer service.
| Certified Medical Technician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,859 | $34,168 |
| Hourly rate | $18.68 | $16.43 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 164,424 | 50,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
Laboratory assistants work for researchers, scientists, or professors in the laboratory setting. They are expected to have a solid background in the field of study of the laboratory they are assigned to. They do a variety of tasks in the laboratory, such as setting up equipment, observing experiments, analyzing results, creating reports, and recommending improvements to the testing. They may also be assigned to clean and sanitize laboratory equipment as needed. Laboratory assistants should have good research skills, analytical skills, and organizational skills.
Certified medical technicians and laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Medical Technician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,859 | $34,168 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $53,000 | Between $26,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denton, TX | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Favorite Healthcare Staffing | UST Global |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a certified medical technician and a laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:
| Certified Medical Technician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 28% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | New York University |
Here are the differences between certified medical technicians' and laboratory assistants' demographics:
| Certified Medical Technician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% | Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 13.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |