Central laboratory technician vs clinical technician

The differences between central laboratory technicians and clinical 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 technician. Additionally, a clinical technician has an average salary of $35,760, 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 technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Central laboratory technician vs clinical technician overview

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Technician
Yearly salary	$33,117	$35,760
Hourly rate	$15.92	$17.19
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	43,887	161,812
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

Central laboratory technician vs clinical technician salary

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

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Technician
Average salary	$33,117	$35,760
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $54,000	Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between central laboratory technician and clinical technician education

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

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	New York University	University of Connecticut

Central laboratory technician vs clinical technician demographics

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

	Central Laboratory Technician	Clinical Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
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, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between central laboratory technician and clinical 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 technician example responsibilities.

Prepare QC and QA samples for validity testing.
Resolve issues from level 1 EMR support as well as EMR issues transfer from other departments.
Recognize life threatening situations and activate the emergency response system while assisting with CPR and code cart.
Report and document description of patient care information in EMR in accordance with hospital policy and procedure.
Participate in reviews and QC of external central laboratory contracts, sample kits and manuals and ensure accuracy.
Assist in advance and basic life support techniques, perform EKG's, blood withdrawal, and computer order entry.

Central laboratory technician vs clinical 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 technician skills

Patients, 27%
Vital Signs, 8%
Phlebotomy, 7%
Direct Patient Care, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
EKG, 4%

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Central Laboratory Technician
Central Laboratory Technician vs Clinical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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