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The differences between clinical technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a clinical technician and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $35,760 average annual salary of a clinical technician.
The top three skills for a clinical technician include patients, vital signs and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Clinical Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $35,760 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $17.19 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 161,812 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations. They also maintain medical charts, update patients' information on the database, and administer patients' medication. A clinical technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as strictly following internal guidelines and safety procedures during operations.
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.
Clinical technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $35,760 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $48,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Brigham and Women's Hospital | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between clinical technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Clinical Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 8% | 8% |