Research Medical Technologist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Analyzes samples of body fluids, tissues, and other substances for diagnostic and research purposes. Works in a research laboratory or research hospital's laboratory. Perform complex chemical, biological, hematological, immunologic, microscopic, and bacteriologic tests. Looks for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms, tests for drug levels in the blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment.
Job Outlook
There were 4 Research Medical Technologist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 1537 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Laboratory Technologist industry, which includes the Research Medical Technologist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Research Medical Technologist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $46,334.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $50,222.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Research Medical Technologist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $39,782.
Education and Experience
Posted Research Medical Technologist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 13% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 53% |
| Master's Degree | 23% |
| Doctoral Degree | 0% |
| Other | 10% |
Posted Research Medical Technologist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 40% |
| 3 to 5 years | 42% |
| 6 to 8 years | 15% |
| 9+ years | 3% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Research Medical Technologist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Research (93%)
- Communication Skills (33%)
- Organizational Skills (30%)
- Detail-Oriented (23%)
- Writing (21%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Experiments (43%)
- Biology (35%)
- Chemistry (27%)
- Vaccination (27%)
- Molecular Biology (22%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Data Analysis (18%)
- Scheduling (13%)
- Labor Law (13%)
- DNA (11%)
- Record Keeping (11%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Genetics (6%)
- Microbiology (6%)
- Histology (6%)
- Immunohistochemistry (5%)
- Laboratory Research (5%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Mass Spectrometry (2%) – marginal value $3,883
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Research Medical Technologist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Research Technologist
- Research Technologist I
- Senior Research Technologist
- Research Technologist II
- Research And Development Technologist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Research Technician
- Medical Laboratory Technologist
- Research Assistant
- Clinical Laboratory Specialist
- Pathology Technologist
- Research Associate
- Blood Bank Technologist
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Research Medical Technologist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Pennsylvania State University (270)
- Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (177)
- Northwestern University (141)
- Cleveland Clinic (82)
- Sandia Corporation (71)
North Carolina
- Smithfield Foods (1)
- Atrium Health (1)
- Greensboro Pathology Llc (1)
- Sonic Healthcare Usa (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Fundamentals of Entomology Undergraduate Certificates
- Microbiology Undergraduate Certificates
- Textile Chemistry Master's Degrees
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.