General merchandise clerk vs certified medical technician

The differences between general merchandise clerks and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $34,415 average annual salary of a general merchandise clerk.

The top three skills for a general merchandise clerk include product knowledge, product displays and customer service. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

General merchandise clerk vs certified medical technician overview

	General Merchandise Clerk	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$34,415	$38,859
Hourly rate	$16.55	$18.68
Growth rate	1%	5%
Number of jobs	137,799	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	-	12

What does a general merchandise clerk do?

This individual works in the GM section of a store. They interact with customers and assist them as they purchase merchandise. In this role, they are expected to place all special orders and to take stock of all products annually. Other responsibilities of this position include developing merchandise plans and ensuring they are compliant with quality standards. They may also have to evaluate merchandise and ensure credit payments are accurate.

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.

General merchandise clerk vs certified medical technician salary

General merchandise clerks and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Merchandise Clerk	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$34,415	$38,859
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	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 general merchandise clerk and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a general merchandise clerk and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	General Merchandise Clerk	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	University of Connecticut

General merchandise clerk vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between general merchandise clerks' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	General Merchandise Clerk	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 56.8% 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	6%	8%

Differences between general merchandise clerk and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

General merchandise clerk example responsibilities.

Provide great customer service while effectively bagging groceries.
Collect all carts from outside help cashiers bag groceries for customers and sometimes help the customers take groceries to their car.
Execute grain futures orders for special accounts that require extraordinary attention to detail as well as personalized service.
Work in almost every department in the Kroger store.

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.

General merchandise clerk vs certified medical technician skills

Common general merchandise clerk skills

Product Knowledge, 44%
Product Displays, 20%
Customer Service, 9%
Stock Shelves, 6%
Sales Floor, 3%
Math, 3%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
General Merchandise Clerk
General Merchandise Clerk vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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