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The differences between psychology research assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a psychology research assistant, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a psychology research assistant has an average salary of $54,582, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a psychology research assistant include data collection, SPSS and research projects. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $54,582 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $26.24 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 48,891 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Psychologists are responsible for studying cognitive and social processes through observation and therapy. They typically focus on understanding and articulating the emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and feelings of their clients. Their typical day-to-day duties may include researching clients' behavior and brain functionality, identifying emotional and behavioral patterns of their clients, and diagnosing and treating emotional, mental, or behavioral disorders. Other duties include developing programs to address psychological issues and collaborating with other health care professionals or social workers in treating patients.
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.
Psychology research assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychology Research Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $54,582 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $86,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Piscataway, NJ | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | MassBay Community College | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a psychology research assistant and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between psychology research assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Psychology Research Assistant | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.2% Female, 72.8% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 11.5% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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 | 8% | 8% |