Transplant surgeon vs certified medical technician

The differences between transplant surgeons and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a transplant surgeon, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a transplant surgeon has an average salary of $405,796, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a transplant surgeon include private practice, and . The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Transplant surgeon vs certified medical technician overview

	Transplant Surgeon	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$405,796	$38,859
Hourly rate	$195.09	$18.68
Growth rate	7%	5%
Number of jobs	3,688	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	49	44
Years of experience	6	12

What does a transplant surgeon do?

A transplant surgeon is a medical expert who specializes in organ transplants, such as heart, kidney, liver, and lung. Besides performing life-saving surgeries, they also study the patients' and donors' medical histories, conduct extensive research and analysis to ensure the compatibility of patients and donors, coordinate with fellow experts from planning to execution, and provide care to patients before and after surgeries. Moreover, a transplant surgeon may also share their expertise and participate in research studies.

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.

Transplant surgeon vs certified medical technician salary

Transplant surgeons and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Transplant Surgeon	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$405,796	$38,859
Salary range	Between $204,000 And $803,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	University of Maryland, Baltimore	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between transplant surgeon and certified medical technician education

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

	Transplant Surgeon	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Medicine	Nursing
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Connecticut

Transplant surgeon vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between transplant surgeons' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Transplant Surgeon	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	49	44
Gender ratio	Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	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	12%	8%

Differences between transplant surgeon and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Transplant surgeon example responsibilities.

Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
Handle confidential and sensitive information with accuracy and according to HIPAA policies.

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.

Transplant surgeon vs certified medical technician skills

Common transplant surgeon skills

Private Practice, 100%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Transplant Surgeon
Transplant Surgeon vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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