Central laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant

The differences between central laboratory technicians and laboratory assistants 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 laboratory assistant. Additionally, a laboratory assistant has an average salary of $34,168, 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 laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and customer service.

Central laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant overview

	Central Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary	$33,117	$34,168
Hourly rate	$15.92	$16.43
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	43,887	50,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

Central laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant salary

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

	Central Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Assistant
Average salary	$33,117	$34,168
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $54,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	UST Global
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between central laboratory technician and laboratory assistant education

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

	Central Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Central laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant demographics

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

	Central Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Assistant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 13.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between central laboratory technician and laboratory assistant 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.

Laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
Maintain and QC check laboratory equipment.
Preform laboratory duties using microscopes, centrifuges and a host of other laboratory equipment.
Provide excellent customer service to patients while accurately updating patient demographics, insurance and billing information in LabCorp LCM program.
Provide continuing education in the form of periodic in-services relating the phlebotomy procedures, tests and proper specimen collection requirements.
Process eyewear to meet national ANSII and OSHA standards.

Central laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant skills

Common central laboratory technician skills

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

Common laboratory assistant skills

Patients, 15%
Phlebotomy, 12%
Customer Service, 6%
Lab Procedures, 5%
Specimen Collection, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

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Central Laboratory Technician
Central Laboratory Technician vs Laboratory Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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