Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between plant technicians 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 plant technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a plant technician has an average salary of $46,164, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a plant technician include preventive maintenance, ladders and data collection. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,164 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $22.19 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 146,543 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A plant technician is in charge of overseeing plant operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities include installing and upgrading machines and equipment, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems, implementing solutions to vulnerable or problem areas, and developing strategies to optimize plant operations. They must also perform regular maintenance checks, conducting corrective measures and adjustments as needed. Furthermore, a plant technician must provide technical support to employees, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Plant technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $46,164 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $67,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Kent, WA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a plant technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between plant technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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 | 2% | 8% |