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The differences between planer operators and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 3-6 months to become a planer operator, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a planer operator has an average salary of $46,309, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a planer operator include co-op, project management and supply chain. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Planer Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,309 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $22.26 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 28,742 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
Planner operators are individuals tasked to set up and operate power-fed planer or facer machines to size and surface woodstock used in the production of furniture. The operators turn handwheels to make adjustments to table level, feed rolls, and pressure bars based on stock thickness and cut. They sharpen cutters on stone or abrasive wheel. Their duties may also include operating circular saw for Woodstock defect removal and signaling coworker to stop feeding stock into the planer upon jam occurrence.
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.
Planer operators and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planer Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $46,309 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $66,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a planer operator and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Planer Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between planer operators' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Planer Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 3.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 4% | 8% |