Central laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician

The differences between central laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory 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 central laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician. Additionally, a clinical laboratory technician has an average salary of $50,756, which is higher than the $33,117 average annual salary of a central laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a central laboratory technician include laboratory equipment, GMP and analytical equipment. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory technician are patients, test results, and patient care.

Central laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician overview

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$33,117	$50,756
Hourly rate	$15.92	$24.40
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	43,887	119,050
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

Central laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician salary

Central laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$33,117	$50,756
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $54,000	Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Stockton, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Claxton Hepburn
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between central laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a central laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Central laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between central laboratory technicians' and clinical laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 8.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 12.9% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between central laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Central laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Ensure facility compliance with governmental (FDA and EPA) GLP, and GMP regulations.
Prepare GMP media and buffer solutions for research labs.
Maintain and operate laboratory equipment and commendably troubleshoot and resolve an assortment of laboratory testing analyzers and perform diverse chemical tests.
Operate various testing equipment such as centrifuges and semi and fully automate liquid transfer instruments.

Clinical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Provide oversight of training and competency testing of technicians to ensure compliance with CLIA, HIPPA and OSHA guidelines.
Collect, process, and analyze clinical specimens for several departments including microbiology, chemistry, hematology, and urinalysis
Experience working in a hospital laboratory in automate chemistry, hematology, blood bank, urinalysis, and immunology departments.
Dispose of biohazard wastes according to OSHA standards ..
Screen blood products for pathogens and co-treatment success.

Central laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician skills

Common central laboratory technician skills

Laboratory Equipment, 33%
GMP, 26%
Analytical Equipment, 25%
Test Order, 7%
R, 5%
Blood Products, 3%

Common clinical laboratory technician skills

Patients, 16%
Test Results, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Hematology, 5%
Body Fluids, 4%
Proficiency Testing, 4%

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Central Laboratory Technician
Central Laboratory Technician vs Clinical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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