Laboratory internship vs certified medical technician

The differences between laboratory interns and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a laboratory internship, 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 $35,305 average annual salary of a laboratory internship.

The top three skills for a laboratory internship include lab procedures, chemistry and python. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Laboratory internship vs certified medical technician overview

	Laboratory Internship	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$35,305	$38,859
Hourly rate	$16.97	$18.68
Growth rate	9%	5%
Number of jobs	90,970	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	4	12

What does a laboratory internship do?

A laboratory intern is responsible for assisting laboratory operations and perform examinations and experiments under the supervision of tenured laboratory staff. Laboratory interns shadow all the laboratory processes, document their observations, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results. They must have excellent knowledge of scientific procedures, demonstrating their class learnings to practical applications. A laboratory intern must be detail-oriented, especially on conducting and verifying the accuracy of research materials. It is also required for a laboratory intern to be a fast-learner, understanding the scientific complexities to master various approaches.

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.

Laboratory internship vs certified medical technician salary

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

	Laboratory Internship	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$35,305	$38,859
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $48,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Jersey City, NJ	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between laboratory internship and certified medical technician education

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

	Laboratory Internship	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	Cornell University	University of Connecticut

Laboratory internship vs certified medical technician demographics

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

	Laboratory Internship	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.8% Female, 52.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 18.2% White, 49.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	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 laboratory internship and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Laboratory internship example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Perform various laboratory experiments with instructor including DNA electrophoresis, forensic studies, and DNA extraction.
Process postmortem tissue for sectioning.
Help the students learn about the basics of biology, including cells to ecology.
Mix reagents in order to create fruit fly food through the use of autoclaves.
Perform experiments concern with the synthesis of polyurethane base polymer surface modifiers (PSMs).

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.

Laboratory internship vs certified medical technician skills

Common laboratory internship skills

Lab Procedures, 11%
Chemistry, 10%
Python, 10%
C++, 6%
Laboratory Procedures, 6%
Laboratory Equipment, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Laboratory Internship vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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