Field chemist vs certified medical technician

The differences between field chemists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a field chemist has an average salary of $66,162, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a field chemist include CDL, non-hazardous waste and customer sites. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Field chemist vs certified medical technician overview

	Field Chemist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$66,162	$38,859
Hourly rate	$31.81	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	51,922	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	42	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a field chemist do?

Field chemists are scientists responsible for researching reactions that occur between different substances and creating procedures for safe handling of those substances by individuals, businesses, or factories. They are involved in gathering research data, implementing regulatory standards for hazardous substances, and assisting with the clean-up process for incidents such as spills. The data gathered is used to help develop new products for use in hazardous waste management, medicine, manufacturing, and other industries.

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.

Field chemist vs certified medical technician salary

Field chemists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Field Chemist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$66,162	$38,859
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $101,000	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 field chemist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a field chemist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Field Chemist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Chemistry	Nursing
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of Connecticut

Field chemist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between field chemists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Field Chemist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	42	44
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.4% 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	5%	8%

Differences between field chemist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Field chemist example responsibilities.

Manage and audit projects to ensure compliance of state, federal and OSHA regulations.
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Utilize analytic testing on new compounds using the following techniques: GC-MS, HPLC and ICP.
Test products for QC using standard procedures.
Analyze air samples by HPLC following EPA methods.

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.

Field chemist vs certified medical technician skills

Common field chemist skills

CDL, 39%
Non-Hazardous Waste, 7%
Customer Sites, 7%
Household Hazardous Waste, 6%
OSHA, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Field Chemist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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