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The differences between water quality technicians 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 water quality technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a water quality technician has an average salary of $39,725, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a water quality technician include laboratory equipment, data collection and EPA. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Water Quality Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,725 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $19.10 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 70,992 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Water quality technicians are tasked with monitoring and testing water supplies and ensuring that a particular body of water is safe. They perform various duties, which include sampling, inspecting, and testing water. They work with surface and groundwater sources. They evaluate and report the condition and features of various water samples and sources. The main goal of this job is to ensure public safety, environmental sustainability, and data integrity.
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.
Water quality technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Water Quality Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,725 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $61,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a water quality technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Water Quality Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between water quality technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Water Quality Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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% |