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The differences between imaging assistants 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 imaging assistant, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $33,188 average annual salary of an imaging assistant.
The top three skills for an imaging assistant include patients, patient care and BLS. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Imaging Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $33,188 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $15.96 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 25,940 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Imaging Assistants are responsible for providing operational and administrative support to the radiologist. Their duties include scheduling examination, organize work assignments, conduct imaging room set up, patient verification, explaining procedures to patient and family as well as help in the patient transfers from and to beds, wheelchairs, and carts. They are responsible for maintaining the supplies room, manage patient exam records, establish proper billing, and report equipment malfunction. Imaging Assistants ensures patient comfort, engage in ethical conduct, and make sure work adheres to regulatory requirements.
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.
Imaging assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Imaging Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $33,188 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $50,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fairbanks, AK | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Massachusetts General Hospital | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an imaging assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Imaging Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between imaging assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Imaging Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 10% | 8% |