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The differences between senior medical technologists 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 senior medical technologist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior medical technologist has an average salary of $60,849, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a senior medical technologist include customer service, blood pressure and OSHA. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Senior Medical Technologist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $60,849 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $29.25 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 113,217 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A senior medical technologist specializes in gathering and analyzing blood and bodily samples through a variety of laboratory experiments. They mostly work at hospitals and medical laboratories, working together with other laboratory professionals and physicians. Among their responsibilities include obtaining samples from patients, identifying cell structures and abnormalities, documenting every procedure and observation, and presenting detailed and summarized reports to physicians or patients promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a senior medical technologist, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior medical technologists while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.
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.
Senior medical technologists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Medical Technologist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $60,849 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $84,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Baptist Health Care | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior medical technologist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Senior Medical Technologist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between senior medical technologists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Senior Medical Technologist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |