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Pharmacist technician vs medical technologist

The differences between pharmacist technicians and medical technologists 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 $36,090 average annual salary of a pharmacist technician.

The top three skills for a pharmacist technician include patients, math and direct supervision. The most important skills for a medical technologist are patients, clinical laboratory, and ASCP.

Pharmacist technician vs medical technologist overview

Pharmacist TechnicianMedical Technologist
Yearly salary$36,090$53,249
Hourly rate$17.35$25.60
Growth rate5%-
Number of jobs73,800116,495
Job satisfaction15
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age3844
Years of experience-2

What does a pharmacist technician do?

Pharmacist technicians assist pharmacists in their daily activities. They receive prescription medicine order requests of customers, validate the prescription, prepare the medicines, properly label medicine bottles, and hand them off to customers. They also answer customer inquiries and attend to customer concerns. Pharmacist technicians also manage the pharmacy's inventory and ensure that all records are up to date. They are also authorized to create purchase requisition requests for medicines that are running low and need to be refilled, but these requests should still be authorized by a doctor.

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.

Pharmacist technician vs medical technologist salary

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

Pharmacist TechnicianMedical Technologist
Average salary$36,090$53,249
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $48,000Between $41,000 And $68,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyValley Presbyterian HospitalChildren's Hospital Colorado
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between pharmacist technician and medical technologist education

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

Pharmacist TechnicianMedical Technologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorPharmacyMedical Technician
Most common college-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Pharmacist technician vs medical technologist demographics

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

Pharmacist TechnicianMedical Technologist
Average age3844
Gender ratioMale, 24.9% Female, 75.1%Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%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%
LGBT Percentage5%8%

Differences between pharmacist technician and medical technologist duties and responsibilities

Pharmacist technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage the OPTIFILL (automation) operations and maintenance of equipment, including the PYXIS medication dispensing machine.
  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Manage inventory; process physician orders; prepare chemotherapy and intravenous medications; support departments in distribution and preparation of medications.
  • Consult with patients as an (CPhT) on their medical usages via written prescription by authorize medical personnel.
  • Compound TPN's (total peripheral nutrition), chemotherapy, iv admixture, antibiotics, and other pharmacy medications.
  • Record customer information into Rx computer system.
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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.
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Pharmacist technician vs medical technologist skills

Common pharmacist technician skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Math, 12%
  • Direct Supervision, 5%
  • HIPAA, 4%
  • Collective Bargaining, 4%
  • Telephone Calls, 4%
Common medical technologist skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Clinical Laboratory, 8%
  • ASCP, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Microbiology, 4%

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