Internist vs certified medical technician

The differences between internists 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 an internist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an internist has an average salary of $223,415, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for an internist include patients, primary care and EMR. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Internist vs certified medical technician overview

	Internist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$223,415	$38,859
Hourly rate	$107.41	$18.68
Growth rate	7%	5%
Number of jobs	31,659	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	6	12

What does an internist do?

An internist is a physician of internal medicine whose primary duty is to diagnose and treat different illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial assessment and examination, reviewing medical records and histories, providing consultations, prescribing medicines, and coordinating with different health care workers to ensure optimal care and service to patients. Moreover, it is essential to discuss and explain conditions to patients or their families, monitor their condition, provide health care advice, and refer them to any specialists or support services as needed.

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.

Internist vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Internist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$223,415	$38,859
Salary range	Between $120,000 And $415,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, OH	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Central Ohio Primary Care	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between internist and certified medical technician education

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

	Internist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Medicine	Nursing
Most common college	University of Virginia	University of Connecticut

Internist vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Internist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.3% Female, 62.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 19.0% White, 61.0% 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	13%	8%

Differences between internist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Internist example responsibilities.

Train and manage new interns/ volunteers assisting with the evidence-based hypertension management program.
Implement EMR solely in a huge practice.
Evaluate health education needs of patients and provide necessary training and instruction.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Perform uncomplicated surgical extractions, bone grafting and suturing as needed independently.
Provide physiotherapy, rehabilitation and chiropractic treatment for various conditions and injuries.

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.

Internist vs certified medical technician skills

Common internist skills

Patients, 30%
Primary Care, 13%
EMR, 7%
Critical Care, 6%
Private Practice, 6%
Rehabilitation, 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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Internist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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