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The differences between assistant laboratory technicians and technical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an assistant laboratory technician, becoming a technical assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an assistant laboratory technician has an average salary of $35,556, which is higher than the $34,159 average annual salary of a technical assistant.
The top three skills for an assistant laboratory technician include patients, ladders and computer lab. The most important skills for a technical assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Assistant Laboratory Technician | Technical Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,556 | $34,159 |
| Hourly rate | $17.09 | $16.42 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 116,488 | 73,750 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
The primary responsibility of a lab assistant is to help scientists and technologists. Lab assistants are assigned to prepare and monitor tests and experiments in research or medical laboratory. They analyze data and establish reports based on test results. Also, they set up the tools and equipment used in the lab. It is also part of their job to clean the lab rooms--knowledge in lab management, communication skills, attention to detail, and medical-related management.
A technical assistant is responsible for supporting business operations by doing administrative and technical tasks under a direct supervisor or tenured staff. Duties of a technical assistant include creating meeting reports, scheduling events, responding to clients' inquiries through email and phone calls, monitoring office inventories, basic troubleshooting on defective equipment, providing recommendations on product development, and analyzing operations processes. Technical assistants require strong time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform tasks in a fast-paced environment and high-level operations.
Assistant laboratory technicians and technical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Laboratory Technician | Technical Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,556 | $34,159 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $57,000 | Between $22,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Manchester, NH | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Patterson-UTI Energy | The American Musical and Dramatic Academy |
| Best paying industry | - | Insurance |
There are a few differences between an assistant laboratory technician and a technical assistant in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Laboratory Technician | Technical Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Maryland - College Park | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between assistant laboratory technicians' and technical assistants' demographics:
| Assistant Laboratory Technician | Technical Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 11.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |