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The differences between medical technologists and biomedical engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical technologist and a biomedical engineer. Additionally, a biomedical engineer has an average salary of $79,436, which is higher than the $53,249 average annual salary of a medical technologist.
The top three skills for a medical technologist include patients, clinical laboratory and ASCP. The most important skills for a biomedical engineer are patients, medical devices, and biomedical equipment.
| Medical Technologist | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $53,249 | $79,436 |
| Hourly rate | $25.60 | $38.19 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,495 | 33,662 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A medical technologist's role is to conduct laboratory tests with accuracy and speed. It is their responsibility to gather, prepare, and analyze samples such as blood, tissues, and bodily fluid. The produced results will be crucial to a patient's diagnosis and further treatments. It is also essential for medical technologists to keep a precise record of data and coordinate with fellow team members and physicians to ensure the fast and efficient delivery of results. Furthermore, a medical technologist can choose to work in different establishments such as a hospital, laboratory, or private clinic.
As a biomedical engineer, it's their main job responsibility to innovate advances that can improve human health care in all aspects. They analyze and create solutions to certain problems with biology and medicine to improve the effectiveness and quality of patient care. They also do complex tasks that include installing, repairing, maintaining, or providing technical support for biomedical equipment. Moreover, checking safety evaluation, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment is also part of their job responsibilities.
Medical technologists and biomedical engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Technologist | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Average salary | $53,249 | $79,436 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $68,000 | Between $57,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Children's Hospital Colorado | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a medical technologist and a biomedical engineer in terms of educational background:
| Medical Technologist | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Biomedical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between medical technologists' and biomedical engineers' demographics:
| Medical Technologist | Biomedical Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% | Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 20.1% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 13% |