Medical technologist vs medical service technician

The differences between medical technologists and medical service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical technologist has an average salary of $53,249, which is higher than the $37,943 average annual salary of a medical service technician.

The top three skills for a medical technologist include patients, clinical laboratory and ASCP. The most important skills for a medical service technician are patients, customer service, and vital signs.

Medical technologist vs medical service technician overview

	Medical Technologist	Medical Service Technician
Yearly salary	$53,249	$37,943
Hourly rate	$25.60	$18.24
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	116,495	189,362
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	44	36
Years of experience	2	-

What does a medical technologist do?

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.

What does a medical service technician do?

A medical service technician provides health care and treatments to patients under the supervision or directives of a more experienced physician. Most of their responsibilities revolve around assessing a patient's condition, administering required aid, diagnosing patients, conducting check-ups, and counseling patients. There are also instances when a medical service technician may prescribe medications, conduct inspections at facilities to ensure sanitary conditions, and coordinate with hospital staff for requesting supplies. Furthermore, it is crucial to have accurate documentation of all processes and transactions, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and standards.

Medical technologist vs medical service technician salary

Medical technologists and medical service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Technologist	Medical Service Technician
Average salary	$53,249	$37,943
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $68,000	Between $23,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Salem, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Connecticut
Best paying company	Children's Hospital Colorado	Sunrise Systems
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between medical technologist and medical service technician education

There are a few differences between a medical technologist and a medical service technician in terms of educational background:

	Medical Technologist	Medical Service Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Nursing
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Virginia

Medical technologist vs medical service technician demographics

Here are the differences between medical technologists' and medical service technicians' demographics:

	Medical Technologist	Medical Service Technician
Average age	44	36
Gender ratio	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%
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, 6.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical technologist and medical service technician duties and responsibilities

Medical technologist example responsibilities.

Manage departmental recovery activities after installation of upgrades affecting the LIS affect.
Perform medical/laboratory procedures in all departments including microbiology, chemistry, blood bank, hematology, urinalysis, and immunology.
Perform laboratory test to corporal fluids applying analysis fields like biochemistry, microbiology, hematology, immunology, urinalysis and blood bank
Execute and analyze laboratory test in biochemistry, urinalysis, hematology, microbiology, blood bank and serology department.
Direct participation on proficiency testing programs on hematology, chemistry, urinalysis, blood bank, serology, and bacteriology.
Work full-time as an evening/night shift generalist rotating through hematology, urinalysis, serology, chemistry, blood bank and microbiology.

Medical service technician example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Administer and document vaccinations and perform strep tests, finger sticks, urinalysis, and various need lab tests.
Run QC on all lab instrumentation ensuring reports are within acceptable limits.
Keep track of all POC inventory, reagents, QC materials and equipment validations.
Apply cold packs to affect injuries of the patient, fit crutches on patients.
Maintain all training and CPR certifications in order to actively participate in codes with in the hospital.

Medical technologist vs medical service technician skills

Common medical technologist skills

Patients, 10%
Clinical Laboratory, 8%
ASCP, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Microbiology, 4%

Common medical service technician skills

Patients, 18%
Customer Service, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%
Infection Control, 5%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%

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Medical Technologist vs Medical Service Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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