Reference librarian vs certified medical technician

The differences between reference librarians 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 reference librarian, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a reference librarian has an average salary of $50,409, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a reference librarian include reference services, library patrons and collection development. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Reference librarian vs certified medical technician overview

	Reference Librarian	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$50,409	$38,859
Hourly rate	$24.24	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	1,058	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a reference librarian do?

Being a reference librarian requires good people skills, knowledge in their respective fields, and good teaching ability to handle the varied responsibilities. Job duties include the interpretation, recommendation, evaluation, and use of information resources in order to assist library patrons with their respective information requirements. These are tasks that will just as often be conducted through phone chat and email as in person.

What does a certified medical technician do?

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.

Reference librarian vs certified medical technician salary

Reference librarians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Reference Librarian	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$50,409	$38,859
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $70,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Yale University	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between reference librarian and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a reference librarian and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Reference Librarian	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Library Science	Nursing
Most common college	New York University	University of Connecticut

Reference librarian vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between reference librarians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Reference Librarian	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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	16%	8%

Differences between reference librarian and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Reference librarian example responsibilities.

Achieve proficiency cataloging electronic materials (audio records, video recordings, and streaming video) and continuing resources/serials.
Coordinate inter-library loan service, using OCLC searches to loan and borrow books and periodicals.
Perform reference and readers' advisory for patrons and staff via telephone, IM, email, and in person.
Perform copy-cataloging operations using OCLC database and online databases.
Maintain responsibility for collection management of the adult non-fiction collection.
Instigate student-librarian relationships and increase library productivity by regularly mentoring students in legal research, writing, and study methods.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Reference librarian vs certified medical technician skills

Common reference librarian skills

Reference Services, 11%
Library Patrons, 9%
Collection Development, 9%
Library Services, 7%
Research Guides, 6%
Reference Desk, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Reference Librarian vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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