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The differences between safety specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a safety specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a safety specialist has an average salary of $57,905, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a safety specialist include OSHA, develop corrective action and safety program. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Safety Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $57,905 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $27.84 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 16,355 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
Safety specialists examine various types of work procedures and environments. They observe if workplaces stick to the regulations on health, safety, and the environment. Also, they create programs to prevent injury or disease to workers and harm to the environment. Their duties include identifying hazards at the workplace and collecting samples of potentially toxic materials for examination. Another task they do is conduct training on emergency preparedness. Additionally, they explore and identify the causes of an accident to determine their preventative measures.
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.
Safety specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $57,905 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $87,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Chevron | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a safety specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Safety Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between safety specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Safety Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.2% 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 | 7% | 8% |