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The differences between senior medical technologists and laboratory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior medical technologist and a laboratory specialist. Additionally, a senior medical technologist has an average salary of $60,849, which is higher than the $50,357 average annual salary of a laboratory specialist.
The top three skills for a senior medical technologist include customer service, blood pressure and OSHA. The most important skills for a laboratory specialist are chemistry, patients, and test results.
| Senior Medical Technologist | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $60,849 | $50,357 |
| Hourly rate | $29.25 | $24.21 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 113,217 | 68,634 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A laboratory specialist develops the areas assigned to them and promotes maximum resource allocation and utilization to achieve their goals. Laboratory specialists handle storage and backup devices, support telecommunication-associated equipment, and relay customer requests and issues. It is their job to process specimens in toxicology, coagulation, microbiology, hematology, chemistry, and urinalysis. Skills and knowledge in a photo lab, cell culture, customer service, and test cases are necessary for this position.
Senior medical technologists and laboratory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Medical Technologist | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Average salary | $60,849 | $50,357 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $84,000 | Between $36,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Baptist Health Care | Nokia |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a senior medical technologist and a laboratory specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Medical Technologist | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Biology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | SUNY Stony Brook |
Here are the differences between senior medical technologists' and laboratory specialists' demographics:
| Senior Medical Technologist | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% | Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |