Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between medical technologists and medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical technologist, becoming a medical assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical technologist has an average salary of $53,249, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.
The top three skills for a medical technologist include patients, clinical laboratory and ASCP. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.
| Medical Technologist | Medical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $53,249 | $34,900 |
| Hourly rate | $25.60 | $16.78 |
| Growth rate | - | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 116,495 | 189,915 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
Medical assistants provide support to medical practitioners in both administrative and clerical tasks. They keep and update the patient's medical records, administer medicines under the supervision of a physician, assist during medical examinations, prepare medical samples for laboratory testing, manage the schedule of appointments, and assist the patients with their bills and in filling out needed forms, such as insurance-related documents. Medical assistants should have good communication skills and analytical skills, be organized, and be flexible. They should also have knowledge of how to operate some medical equipment such as x-ray machines.
Medical technologists and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Technologist | Medical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $53,249 | $34,900 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $68,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Children's Hospital Colorado | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical technologist and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Technologist | Medical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Associate Degree, 24% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | - |
Here are the differences between medical technologists' and medical assistants' demographics:
| Medical Technologist | Medical Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% | Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6% |
| 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, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.7% Asian, 8.8% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |