Senior medical laboratory scientist vs certified medical technician

The differences between senior medical laboratory scientists 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 senior medical laboratory scientist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior medical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $70,833, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a senior medical laboratory scientist include ASCP, blood bank and QC. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Senior medical laboratory scientist vs certified medical technician overview

	Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$70,833	$38,859
Hourly rate	$34.05	$18.68
Growth rate	17%	5%
Number of jobs	117,450	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	4	12

Senior medical laboratory scientist vs certified medical technician salary

Senior medical laboratory scientists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$70,833	$38,859
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $105,000	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

Differences between senior medical laboratory scientist and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a senior medical laboratory scientist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Connecticut

Senior medical laboratory scientist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between senior medical laboratory scientists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 27.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	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%

Differences between senior medical laboratory scientist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Senior medical laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

Attain extensive phlebotomy experience with a challenging pediatric patient population.
Review and analyze daily quality control data and takes the appropriate steps to insure quality results associate with microbiology procedures.
Perform CMV, CMV IgM, CMV IgG, and RPR testing.

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.

Senior medical laboratory scientist vs certified medical technician skills

Common senior medical laboratory scientist skills

ASCP, 87%
Blood Bank, 7%
QC, 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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Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist
Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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