Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead scientists 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 lead scientist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead scientist has an average salary of $110,028, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a lead scientist include C++, java and data analysis. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Lead Scientist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $110,028 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $52.90 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 49,455 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A lead scientist is primarily in charge of leading the efforts in conducting scientific studies within a particular program or project. Their responsibilities revolve around setting goals and objectives, delegating tasks, establishing guidelines, and overseeing the progress and performance of other scientists and workers in a laboratory. They may also liaise with clients and external parties, including the media. Furthermore, as a lead scientist, it is essential to encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the laboratory's safety policies and regulations to maintain a safe and productive work environment.
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 scientists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Scientist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $110,028 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $153,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Cruz, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Tennessee | Alaska |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a lead scientist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Lead Scientist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between lead scientists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Lead Scientist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.9% Female, 29.1% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |