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The differences between service mechanics 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 service mechanic, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a service mechanic has an average salary of $47,240, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a service mechanic include customer service, preventative maintenance and hydraulic systems. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Service Mechanic | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $47,240 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $22.71 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 116,383 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A service mechanic, or often known as a service technician, is an individual who inspects, maintains, and repairs cars and light trucks. Service mechanics must identify the vehicle's problems by using computerized diagnostic equipment and test parts and systems to ensure that they work properly. They must perform basic vehicular care and maintenance such as changing oil, checking fluid levels, and rotating tires. Service mechanics should also explain automotive problems to customers and perform repairs according to the manufacturer ad customer specifications.
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.
Service mechanics and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Mechanic | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $47,240 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $66,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Sandia National Labs | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a service mechanic and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Service Mechanic | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between service mechanics' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Service Mechanic | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 2.4% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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 | 2% | 8% |