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The differences between systems operators 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 systems operator, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $38,182 average annual salary of a systems operator.
The top three skills for a systems operator include computer system, management system and combat. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Systems Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,182 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $18.36 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 91,037 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Systems operators often act as the front liners whose primary job is to ensure the reliable delivery of electricity service to consumers and businesses. They are responsible for overseeing and managing the power grid and controlling electricity flow through transmission lines. Other duties and responsibilities of systems operators include monitoring and operating current converters, observing circuit breakers and voltage transformers, and anticipating the changing needs for power due to weather. They are also responsible for communicating with key stakeholders such as power plant operators to route energy to consumers.
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.
Systems operators and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Systems Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,182 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $51,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Diego, CA | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | DC Water | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a systems operator and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Systems Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between systems operators' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Systems Operator | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 9% | 8% |