Chemical dependency technician vs field laboratory operator

The differences between chemical dependency technicians and field laboratory operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a chemical dependency technician and a field laboratory operator. Additionally, a field laboratory operator has an average salary of $54,062, which is higher than the $35,341 average annual salary of a chemical dependency technician.

The top three skills for a chemical dependency technician include chemical dependency, patients and vital signs. The most important skills for a field laboratory operator are lab equipment, chemistry, and safety regulations.

Chemical dependency technician vs field laboratory operator overview

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Field Laboratory Operator
Yearly salary	$35,341	$54,062
Hourly rate	$16.99	$25.99
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	20,927	109,087
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Chemical dependency technician vs field laboratory operator salary

Chemical dependency technicians and field laboratory operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Field Laboratory Operator
Average salary	$35,341	$54,062
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $42,000	Between $37,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between chemical dependency technician and field laboratory operator education

There are a few differences between a chemical dependency technician and a field laboratory operator in terms of educational background:

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Field Laboratory Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	University of Washington	Stanford University

Chemical dependency technician vs field laboratory operator demographics

Here are the differences between chemical dependency technicians' and field laboratory operators' demographics:

	Chemical Dependency Technician	Field Laboratory Operator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.5% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between chemical dependency technician and field laboratory operator duties and responsibilities

Chemical dependency technician example responsibilities.

Drive to pick up new clients, drive clients to outside AA or NA meetings.
Transport to outside AA meetings.
Diagnose and recommend treatment for clients base on ASAM and DSM criteria.
Understand and comply with the practice regulations as outlined by OASAS and JCAHO.
Plan or implement follow-up or aftercare programs for clients to be discharge from detox.
Perform monitoring of detox clients and their medications, as well as their vitals.

Field laboratory operator example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Perform lab testing, including automatic titration, GC, and HPLC.
Develop and validate analytical methods for HPLC, GC-MS, UV-Vis, and FT-IR.
Maintain and calibrate lab and field equipment and document calibration to ensure equipment run optimal.
Support laboratory quality control and safety initiatives and provide direct support to the microbiology, processing and emergency departments as needed.
Perform basic analyzer troubleshooting on centrifuge, label printers, and maintain quality controls on chemistry and hematology analyzer.

Chemical dependency technician vs field laboratory operator skills

Common chemical dependency technician skills

Chemical Dependency, 12%
Patients, 12%
Vital Signs, 11%
Patient Care, 9%
Substance Abuse, 7%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

Common field laboratory operator skills

Lab Equipment, 24%
Chemistry, 22%
Safety Regulations, 11%
Test Results, 5%
QC, 5%
DNA, 3%

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Chemical Dependency Technician
Chemical Dependency Technician vs Field Laboratory Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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