by CourseAdvisor

Medical Technologist and Medical Technician are two important positions in medical laboratories. Medical technologists have higher levels of responsibility than medical technicians as a result of having advanced education and training.

Medical Technologist (Clinical Laboratory Technologist or Clinical Laboratory Scientist)
These graduates of four-year college programs in medical technology do qualitative and quantitative analyses of blood, urine, and other body fluids and tissue. A medical technologist performs the most high-level laboratory tasks and may become lab supervisors. A medical technologist's responsibilities include:

• Performing complex laboratory procedures
• Culturing body fluid and tissue samples to determine the presence of microorganisms
• Determining concentrations of components in body fluids
• Typing and matching blood for transfusions
• Maintaining laboratory instruments
• Running quality control programs
• Supervising medical technicians

Medical Technician or Clinical Laboratory Technician
Medical technicians usually have an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational or technical school, or the military. Medical technicians perform less complex tasks than medical technologists, including preparing specimens, running automated analyses, and performing other tests according to instructions.

Salary Range

Based on 2004 data, as a medical and clinical laboratory technologist you can expect to earn at least between $32,240 and up to more than $63,120 per year, with a median earning potential of $45,730 yearly.

As a medical and clinical laboraty technician, you can expect to earn betwee at least $20,410 and up to more than $45,680 per year, with a median earning potential of $30,840 yearly.

Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-2007 Edition; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.