Certified physician assistant vs medical laboratory technician

The differences between certified physician assistants and medical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified physician assistant has an average salary of $126,201, which is higher than the $51,780 average annual salary of a medical laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a certified physician assistant include patients, diagnosis and surgical procedures. The most important skills for a medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.

Certified physician assistant vs medical laboratory technician overview

	Certified Physician Assistant	Medical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$126,201	$51,780
Hourly rate	$60.67	$24.89
Growth rate	28%	16%
Number of jobs	123,124	88,721
Job satisfaction	-	3.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 55%
Average age	39	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a certified physician assistant do?

Certified Physician assistants are healthcare professionals who are trained and supervised by a physician to diagnose and treat illness as well as provide preventive care to their patients. These assistants must collaborate with specialists so that they can ensure optimal patient care through formal and informal consultations. They are required to develop and implement new strategies for patient care based on current medical practice guidelines. Certified Physician Assistants must also assist with cases in general surgery such as orthopedic, thoracic, and vascular procedures.

What does a medical laboratory technician do?

A medical laboratory technician is responsible for assisting medical health professionals in conducting laboratory tests to diagnose patients' conditions and provide treatments. Medical laboratory technicians ensure the sanitation of all the tools and equipment before conducting tests. They collect adequate blood samples and specimens, analyze fluid elements, utilize laboratory equipment safely, create reports of findings, and alert medical personnel and medical technologists of emergency conditions. A medical laboratory technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry disciplines and processes to perform sensitive tasks and release accurate medical results.

Certified physician assistant vs medical laboratory technician salary

Certified physician assistants and medical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Physician Assistant	Medical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$126,201	$51,780
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $215,000	Between $37,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between certified physician assistant and medical laboratory technician education

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

	Certified Physician Assistant	Medical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 55%
Most common major	Physician Assistant	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science
Most common college	Duke University	University of Maryland - College Park

Certified physician assistant vs medical laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between certified physician assistants' and medical laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Certified Physician Assistant	Medical Laboratory Technician
Average age	39	44
Gender ratio	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	12%	8%

Differences between certified physician assistant and medical laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Certified physician assistant example responsibilities.

Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Provide bio-identical hormone replacement therapy to select patients and provide coordination of patient care in a rural primary care setting.
Perform comprehensive history and physical exams and provide a multidisciplinary care plan for patients suffering from acute and chronic pain.
Perform suturing repair for laceration repairs.
Work in an outpatient orthopedic clinic with emphasis on physical medicine, rehabilitation of both chronic and acute orthopedic conditions.
Document all procedures via dictation or handwritten in patient chart.

Medical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing office functions through strong knowledge of PACS, Fuji CR, and EMR systems.
Accomplish constant multitasking between phlebotomy, reception and lab on a daily basis while providing outstanding customer communication skills.
Conduct clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and specimen analysis in hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, serology and immunology.
Experience in the areas of chemistry, hematology, serology, urinalysis, coagulation and microbiology specimen preparation.
Serve as rotational general laboratory technician in urinalysis, serology, chemistry, hematology, coagulation, microbiology, and shipping.
Pass and receive ASCP MLT certification upon graduation.

Certified physician assistant vs medical laboratory technician skills

Common certified physician assistant skills

Patients, 25%
Diagnosis, 7%
Surgical Procedures, 5%
Outpatient Clinic, 5%
Urgent Care, 4%
Internal Medicine, 4%

Common medical laboratory technician skills

Medical Laboratory, 10%
Patients, 10%
ASCP, 9%
Clinical Laboratory, 8%
MLT, 6%
Patient Care, 4%

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Certified Physician Assistant vs Medical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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