Environmental laboratory technician vs certified medical technician

The differences between environmental laboratory technicians 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 an environmental laboratory technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an environmental laboratory technician has an average salary of $40,682, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for an environmental laboratory technician include lab equipment, water samples and sops. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Environmental laboratory technician vs certified medical technician overview

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$40,682	$38,859
Hourly rate	$19.56	$18.68
Growth rate	9%	5%
Number of jobs	58,055	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does an environmental laboratory technician do?

Environmental laboratory technicians are professionals who are responsible for testing all contaminants that may affect the environment and the health of both humans and wildlife. These technicians are required to prepare and test samples such as gases, soils, water, and industrial wastewater to determine the level of pollutants or identify the sources of contamination. They must discuss and report the summary of the data from test results with supervisors and customers. Environmental laboratory technicians must also design monitoring programs and set up equipment when working in the field.

What does a certified medical technician do?

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.

Environmental laboratory technician vs certified medical technician salary

Environmental laboratory technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$40,682	$38,859
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $56,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between environmental laboratory technician and certified medical technician education

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

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of Connecticut

Environmental laboratory technician vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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%

Differences between environmental laboratory technician and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Environmental laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
Support short and long term projects meeting establish deadlines such as the upcoming revisions to the USP heavy metals testing.
Initiate and maintain paperwork in accordance with FDA guidelines and perform investigations for any deviant results.
Perform internal audits of laboratories in accordance with current standard operating procedure of good laboratory practices and FDA regulations.
Assist HAZWOPER technicians with logistical support for operations on project operations including research of facilities and vendors need for project completion.
Monitor temperature and pressure of production distillation towers

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Environmental laboratory technician vs certified medical technician skills

Common environmental laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 9%
Water Samples, 8%
Sops, 6%
Environmental Samples, 6%
Test Equipment, 5%
Environmental Lab, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

Environmental Laboratory Technician vs. similar jobs

Environmental Laboratory Technician related careers

Environmental Laboratory Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Environmental Laboratory Technician
Environmental Laboratory Technician vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs