Staff technologist vs certified medical technician

The differences between staff 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 staff technologist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a staff technologist has an average salary of $57,587, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a staff technologist include C++, diagnostic radiology and patient care. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Staff technologist vs certified medical technician overview

	Staff Technologist	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$57,587	$38,859
Hourly rate	$27.69	$18.68
Growth rate	6%	5%
Number of jobs	123,142	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	43	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a staff technologist do?

A staff technologist conducts laboratory requests issued by doctors to determine, diagnose, and treat various diseases. The staff technologist is also under the radiologist technician's umbrella and assists the lead technician in managing the laboratory. Included in a staff technologist's tasks are preparing the specimen for analysis and ensuring that all laboratory equipment is well-calibrated and in working order. Added to the responsibilities are protecting patient information and all confidential data the laboratory received.

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.

Staff technologist vs certified medical technician salary

Staff technologists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Technologist	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$57,587	$38,859
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $99,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Menlo Park, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	VMware	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between staff technologist and certified medical technician education

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

	Staff Technologist	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Nursing
Most common college	Texas A&M University	University of Connecticut

Staff technologist vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between staff technologists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Staff Technologist	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	43	44
Gender ratio	Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 73.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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 staff technologist and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Staff technologist example responsibilities.

Open and close department independently and also assist surgical staff by managing QC and providing radiopharmaceuticals as needed for procedures.
Assist in RF design and development.
Used Jmeter to test API and their functionality.
Train in MRI procedures and perform exams under the direction of a physician.
Perform electrical and environmental test on analog, digital and RF devices per program requirements.
Focus on the principles of ALARA, delivering excellent patient care, and performing high quality examinations

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.

Staff technologist vs certified medical technician skills

Common staff technologist skills

C++, 10%
Diagnostic Radiology, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
Windows, 5%
R, 5%
MRI, 4%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

Staff Technologist vs. similar jobs

Staff Technologist related careers

Staff Technologist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Technologist
Staff Technologist vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs