Medical technologist vs nurse

The differences between medical technologists and nurses 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 nurse. Additionally, a nurse has an average salary of $57,564, 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 nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Medical technologist vs nurse overview

	Medical Technologist	Nurse
Yearly salary	$53,249	$57,564
Hourly rate	$25.60	$27.68
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	116,495	696,124
Job satisfaction	5	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	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 nurse do?

Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.

Medical technologist vs nurse salary

Medical technologists and nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Technologist	Nurse
Average salary	$53,249	$57,564
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $68,000	Between $38,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Children's Hospital Colorado	Conviva
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between medical technologist and nurse education

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

	Medical Technologist	Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Nursing
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Medical technologist vs nurse demographics

Here are the differences between medical technologists' and nurses' demographics:

	Medical Technologist	Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%	Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	9%

Differences between medical technologist and nurse 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.

Nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients
Monitor patients for cardiac rhythm changes and implement medication according to ACLS guidelines.
Educate patients and families on diseases processes, medications, wind care, and iv infusion.
Provide care for patients on medical/surgical, transplant, cardiac, orthopedic, postpartum, neonatal ICU, and psychiatric units
Demonstrate competence in CPR and other medical emergency situations.

Medical technologist vs nurse skills

Common medical technologist skills

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

Common nurse skills

Patients, 21%
Home Health, 7%
CPR, 6%
BLS, 6%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 4%

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Medical Technologist
Medical Technologist vs Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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