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The differences between lead laboratory technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a lead laboratory technician and a certified medical technician. Additionally, a lead laboratory technician has an average salary of $54,230, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a lead laboratory technician include patients, lab equipment and customer service. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Lead Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $54,230 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $26.07 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 77,096 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Lead Laboratory Technician coordinates the operations of a laboratory. They supervise the preparation of specimens for tests, collection of blood, examination of blood samples, and other duties performed by the technician team.
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.
Lead laboratory technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $54,230 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $86,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Meta | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a lead laboratory technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Lead Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between lead laboratory technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Lead Laboratory Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 8% | 8% |