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The differences between power 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 power plant technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a power plant technician has an average salary of $46,681, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a power plant technician include plant equipment, preventive maintenance and gearboxes. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Power Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,681 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $22.44 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 36,418 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Power plant technicians, paid at an average of $790K per year, must have skills in concentration, dexterity, mechanics, and problem-solving. They will need a high school diploma or GED at the very least, though some employers do prefer a college or vocational school degree, as well as strong math and science backgrounds. Those who choose this career will be called on to controlling and monitoring -power plant equipment, like boilers, turbines, and generators.
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.
Power plant technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Power Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $46,681 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $71,000 | 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 power plant technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Power Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Aviation | Nursing |
| Most common college | Purdue University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between power plant technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Power Plant Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.2% Female, 4.8% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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% |