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Calibration specialist vs instrument technician

The differences between calibration specialists and instrument technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a calibration specialist and an instrument technician. Additionally, a calibration specialist has an average salary of $66,759, which is higher than the $56,918 average annual salary of an instrument technician.

The top three skills for a calibration specialist include test equipment, laboratory equipment and calibration procedures. The most important skills for an instrument technician are patients, surgical instruments, and cleanliness.

Calibration specialist vs instrument technician overview

Calibration SpecialistInstrument Technician
Yearly salary$66,759$56,918
Hourly rate$32.10$27.36
Growth rate--
Number of jobs17,47245,965
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 48%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

Calibration specialist vs instrument technician salary

Calibration specialists and instrument technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Calibration SpecialistInstrument Technician
Average salary$66,759$56,918
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $118,000Between $38,000 And $83,000
Highest paying CityWest Hartford, CTPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateVirginiaHawaii
Best paying companyGeneral MotorsPhillips 66
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between calibration specialist and instrument technician education

There are a few differences between a calibration specialist and an instrument technician in terms of educational background:

Calibration SpecialistInstrument Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 48%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityNortheastern University

Calibration specialist vs instrument technician demographics

Here are the differences between calibration specialists' and instrument technicians' demographics:

Calibration SpecialistInstrument Technician
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 81.2% Female, 18.8%Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between calibration specialist and instrument technician duties and responsibilities

Calibration specialist example responsibilities.

  • Accomplish team sales of 464K in clinical chemistry and hematology instrumentation.
  • Develop and implement GMP compliant calibration program for the company.
  • Maintain compliance with FDA by practicing c-GMP/c-GLP.
  • Assure that all GMP equipment is calibrated and operate within their design specifications.
  • Assist a site team with remediation activities in response to an FDA directive.
  • Utilize various automate test equipment, including meters, oscilloscopes, frequency counters, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators.
  • Show more

Instrument technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead the planning and coordination of QC instrumentation and software qualification to be compliant with best practices.
  • Lead a team of 10 engineers to develop an infrare telescope that are launched on the NASA high-altitude balloonproject BRRISON/BOPPS.
  • Accomplish team sales of 464K in clinical chemistry and hematology instrumentation.
  • Adhere to safe work practices including lock out/tag out, OSHA regulations, NFPA, and NEC code regulations.
  • Clean and sterilize various surgical instruments for multiple surgery cases.
  • Skil in the installation, maintenance, electrical devices from 24 volt DC to 4160 VAC.
  • Show more

Calibration specialist vs instrument technician skills

Common calibration specialist skills
  • Test Equipment, 15%
  • Laboratory Equipment, 12%
  • Calibration Procedures, 9%
  • ISO, 7%
  • GMP, 7%
  • RF, 6%
Common instrument technician skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Surgical Instruments, 8%
  • Cleanliness, 6%
  • Hand Tools, 5%
  • Control Systems, 5%
  • PLC, 4%

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