Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between medical technologists and medical laboratory scientists 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 medical laboratory scientist. Additionally, a medical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $54,377, 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 medical laboratory scientist are patients, ASCP, and clinical laboratory.
| Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $53,249 | $54,377 |
| Hourly rate | $25.60 | $26.14 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 116,495 | 121,913 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| 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 medical laboratory scientist, you will be responsible for analyzing various types of body specimens, including blood, tissue, and urine. You will conduct scientific testing on samples and report the results to physicians. These results play an essential role in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions or illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Your duties and responsibilities may include maintaining laboratory equipment such as microscopes and cell counters, tracking patient outcomes, and conducting differential cell counts. You are also expected to oversee the work of laboratory technicians.
Medical technologists and medical laboratory scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Scientist | |
| Average salary | $53,249 | $54,377 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $68,000 | Between $41,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Reno, NV |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Children's Hospital Colorado | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical technologist and a medical laboratory scientist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between medical technologists' and medical laboratory scientists' demographics:
| Medical Technologist | Medical Laboratory Scientist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.7% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |