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Biology laboratory technician vs scientific technician

The differences between biology laboratory technicians and scientific technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a biology laboratory technician and a scientific technician. Additionally, a scientific technician has an average salary of $40,956, which is higher than the $38,514 average annual salary of a biology laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a biology laboratory technician include lab equipment, molecular biology and chemistry. The most important skills for a scientific technician are data collection, GPS, and harvest.

Biology laboratory technician vs scientific technician overview

Biology Laboratory TechnicianScientific Technician
Yearly salary$38,514$40,956
Hourly rate$18.52$19.69
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs45,4709,259
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4040
Years of experience44

Biology laboratory technician vs scientific technician salary

Biology laboratory technicians and scientific technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Biology Laboratory TechnicianScientific Technician
Average salary$38,514$40,956
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $50,000Between $28,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CitySouth San Francisco, CABethesda, MD
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyUniversity of CaliforniaJacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industryManufacturingPharmaceutical

Differences between biology laboratory technician and scientific technician education

There are a few differences between a biology laboratory technician and a scientific technician in terms of educational background:

Biology Laboratory TechnicianScientific Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeCornell UniversityDuke University

Biology laboratory technician vs scientific technician demographics

Here are the differences between biology laboratory technicians' and scientific technicians' demographics:

Biology Laboratory TechnicianScientific Technician
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 42.6% Female, 57.4%Male, 59.9% Female, 40.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 12.7% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 13.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between biology laboratory technician and scientific technician duties and responsibilities

Biology laboratory technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
  • Prepare media and reagents necessary for microbiological and electrophoresis analysis.
  • Carry out highly complex pharmaceutical and biotechnology studies while maintaining strong relationships with clients and upholding federal regulations for FDA approval.
  • Design and implement vegetation survey using GPS and GIS; collect and analyze data for reports.
  • Record the amount of plant cover, GPS coordinates and environmental conditions in a journal for different sampling plots.
  • Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.

Scientific technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage AIS boat check stations with WDFW enforcement (Carl Klein).
  • Identify owl species by sight and sound prompt using hoot flute and reed caller.
  • Work onboard commercial gillnet boats to monitor salmon harvest.
  • Measure fork length and weight of salmon and steelhead, as well as other fish species.
  • Operate and maintain power boats, drift boats, and rafts for field surveys.
  • Utilize maps, GPS, rangefinder, secchi disk and kayaks on a daily basis.
  • Show more

Biology laboratory technician vs scientific technician skills

Common biology laboratory technician skills
  • Lab Equipment, 12%
  • Molecular Biology, 6%
  • Chemistry, 5%
  • Laboratory Procedures, 4%
  • Biology Lab, 4%
  • Cell Culture, 4%
Common scientific technician skills
  • Data Collection, 18%
  • GPS, 11%
  • Harvest, 8%
  • Data Entry, 8%
  • Lab Equipment, 6%
  • Boats, 5%

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