Scientific writer vs certified medical technician

The differences between scientific writers 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 scientific writer, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a scientific writer has an average salary of $99,550, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a scientific writer include IND, NDA and abstracts. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Scientific writer vs certified medical technician overview

	Scientific Writer	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$99,550	$38,859
Hourly rate	$47.86	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	15,960	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a scientific writer do?

Scientific writers are professionals who are responsible for conducting research and writing articles that are related to scientific topics for many different kinds of publications and scientific journals. These writers are required to conduct interviews with scientists and other important people to ensure accurate information about the essays they are writing. They must adapt and comply with in-house style guides as well as perform copy-editing and proofreading duties. Scientific writers must also build up a network of contacts with other professionals in the industry such as press officers, PR executives, and researchers.

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.

Scientific writer vs certified medical technician salary

Scientific writers and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scientific Writer	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$99,550	$38,859
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $150,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, VA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Virginia	Alaska
Best paying company	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between scientific writer and certified medical technician education

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

	Scientific Writer	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Connecticut

Scientific writer vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between scientific writers' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Scientific Writer	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	11%	8%

Differences between scientific writer and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Scientific writer example responsibilities.

Manage, and assist in the recruiting activities of, CRO resources preparing regulatory documents on behalf of APGD.
Harmonize USP and EP methods.
Exhibit proficiency in researching, writing, editing, and proofreading.
Create internal LIMS for NIH lab using Drupal, MySQL and git version control.
Organize and consolidate information into standard report formats, preparing and proofreading correspondence and documents in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
Use APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, AMA, and in-house style guides for error-free documents.

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.

Scientific writer vs certified medical technician skills

Common scientific writer skills

IND, 10%
NDA, 10%
Abstracts, 7%
Regulatory Submissions, 6%
Proofreading, 6%
Clinical Study Reports, 6%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Scientific Writer vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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