Microbiology laboratory manager vs certified medical technician

The differences between microbiology laboratory managers and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a microbiology laboratory manager, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a microbiology laboratory manager has an average salary of $94,179, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a microbiology laboratory manager include QC, FDA and microbiology lab. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Microbiology laboratory manager vs certified medical technician overview

	Microbiology Laboratory Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$94,179	$38,859
Hourly rate	$45.28	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	39,255	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	12

What does a microbiology laboratory manager do?

A Microbiology Laboratory Manager is a leader who is in charge of the overall operations of a facility. Microbiology laboratory managers focus on the consistent implementation of the facility's procedures, business practices, and policies for employees. The manager's train lab assistants in facility procedures are complete regulatory reports. They coordinate with the microbiologists in checking or reviewing data to ensure timely data closeout and reporting. This job's necessary skills include people management, technical analysis, operations management, quality control/assurance, and project management.

What does a certified medical technician do?

Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.

Microbiology laboratory manager vs certified medical technician salary

Microbiology laboratory managers and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Microbiology Laboratory Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$94,179	$38,859
Salary range	Between $65,000 And $135,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Buckeye, AZ	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Arizona	Alaska
Best paying company	Abbott	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Health Care

Differences between microbiology laboratory manager and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a microbiology laboratory manager and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Microbiology Laboratory Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Connecticut

Microbiology laboratory manager vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between microbiology laboratory managers' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Microbiology Laboratory Manager	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.3% Female, 54.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	8%

Differences between microbiology laboratory manager and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Microbiology laboratory manager example responsibilities.

Set up forensic DNA laboratory, train laboratory technicians in advance molecular techniques, and manage day-to-day activities of forensic DNA laboratory
Assist with client and regulatory quality GMP audits.
Purchase and implement new non-viable particle counters to support ISO certification.
Perform GMP audits of suppliers, ensuring that they meet internal expectations for quality.
Determine triglycerides in vegetable oil and polyphenols in olive oil by (HPLC).
Create purchase orders and place orders with vendors for all production aspects of the microbiological and chemistry operations.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Microbiology laboratory manager vs certified medical technician skills

Common microbiology laboratory manager skills

QC, 7%
FDA, 6%
Microbiology Lab, 5%
Environmental Monitoring, 5%
Laboratory Operations, 5%
Test Methods, 5%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Microbiology Laboratory Manager
Microbiology Laboratory Manager vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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