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The differences between chiropractors and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a chiropractor, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a chiropractor has an average salary of $53,608, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a chiropractor include patients, medical histories and spine. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Chiropractor | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $53,608 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $25.77 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 17,584 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A chiropractor is a healthcare professional who provides care and relief to patients with neuromusculoskeletal problems by re-aligning the spine and adjusting other joints. Your duties typically include working with patients on their lifestyle, guiding them on nutrition, exercise, and sleeping habits, and evaluating patients' condition based on their medical history and symptoms. Additionally, you will be responsible for examining the spine and posture, running tests and taking X-rays, and using massage, heat, and cold therapy to treat patients.
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.
Chiropractors and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chiropractor | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $53,608 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $82,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Hess | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a chiropractor and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Chiropractor | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Chiropractic | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Bridgeport | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between chiropractors' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Chiropractor | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 80.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 9% | 8% |