Human factors specialist vs certified medical technician

The differences between human factors specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a human factors specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a human factors specialist has an average salary of $80,877, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a human factors specialist include user research, user interface and industrial design. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Human factors specialist vs certified medical technician overview

	Human Factors Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$80,877	$38,859
Hourly rate	$38.88	$18.68
Growth rate	8%	5%
Number of jobs	40,805	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	6	12

What does a human factors specialist do?

A human factors specialist may also be known as an ergonomist. They work with organizations that train staff, as well as with aeronautical engineers and civil aviation regulators. They are responsible for conducting studies, carrying out evaluations and tests, and researching important information about a product or service. They must be skilled in the art of studying human behavior in different contexts and apply that skill to design objects and facilities that better human well-being and overall system performance.

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.

Human factors specialist vs certified medical technician salary

Human factors specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Human Factors Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$80,877	$38,859
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $116,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Apple	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between human factors specialist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a human factors specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Human Factors Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Human factors specialist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between human factors specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Human Factors Specialist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 9.1% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%

Differences between human factors specialist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Human factors specialist example responsibilities.

Reformat and manage team SharePoint page on support unit portal, providing increase accessibility and distribution of team products.
Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
Process arrears payments for employees on LOA or FMLA and other leave as applicable.
Coordinate leaves of absence with appropriate laws such as FMLA, work comp and ADA.
Categorize non-exempt and exempt positions according to FLSA.
Research methods include surveys, questionnaires, laboratory experiments, usability testing, task analyses, prototyping, and human-in-the-loop simulations.

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.

Human factors specialist vs certified medical technician skills

Common human factors specialist skills

User Research, 18%
User Interface, 15%
Industrial Design, 12%
Human Factors Research, 9%
I-9, 5%
Personnel Policies, 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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Human Factors Specialist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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