Clinical laboratory scientist vs medical laboratory scientist

The differences between clinical laboratory scientists and medical laboratory scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clinical laboratory scientist and a medical laboratory scientist. Additionally, a clinical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $67,900, which is higher than the $54,377 average annual salary of a medical laboratory scientist.

The top three skills for a clinical laboratory scientist include patients, test results and microbiology. The most important skills for a medical laboratory scientist are patients, ASCP, and clinical laboratory.

Clinical laboratory scientist vs medical laboratory scientist overview

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Yearly salary	$67,900	$54,377
Hourly rate	$32.64	$26.14
Growth rate	17%	-
Number of jobs	133,838	121,913
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a clinical laboratory scientist do?

A Clinical Laboratory Scientist is responsible for performing laboratory tests that doctors count on to correctly diagnose and treat patients. They examine body fluids, tissues, and cells, identify infective microorganisms, and analyze the chemical constituents of body fluids.

What does a medical laboratory scientist do?

As a medical laboratory scientist, you will be responsible for analyzing various types of body specimens, including blood, tissue, and urine. You will conduct scientific testing on samples and report the results to physicians. These results play an essential role in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions or illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Your duties and responsibilities may include maintaining laboratory equipment such as microscopes and cell counters, tracking patient outcomes, and conducting differential cell counts. You are also expected to oversee the work of laboratory technicians.

Clinical laboratory scientist vs medical laboratory scientist salary

Clinical laboratory scientists and medical laboratory scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Average salary	$67,900	$54,377
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $99,000	Between $41,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Reno, NV
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Westpac	Eli Lilly and Company
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between clinical laboratory scientist and medical laboratory scientist education

There are a few differences between a clinical laboratory scientist and a medical laboratory scientist in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Clinical laboratory scientist vs medical laboratory scientist demographics

Here are the differences between clinical laboratory scientists' and medical laboratory scientists' demographics:

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 15.4% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.7% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between clinical laboratory scientist and medical laboratory scientist duties and responsibilities

Clinical laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

Analyze specimens in hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, chemistry, toxicology, blood bank, and limit microbiology and serology.
Perform testing on donor and patient samples on platforms using methodologies including EIA, CLIA, and NAT (PCR).
Perform patient blood analysis, interpret serology, immunology and flowcytometry results.
Provide phlebotomy, specimen processing and laboratory testing for clinical trial studies.
Analyze specimens in areas of hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, and clinical chemistry within time constraints in a high-volume environment.
Perform microbiology, mycology and bacteriology

Medical laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

Attain extensive phlebotomy experience with a challenging pediatric patient population.
Perform complex laboratory diagnostic tests as medical laboratory scientist in hematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology, urinalysis and blood bank.
Evaluate quality control within the laboratory using standard laboratory test and measurement controls while maintaining compliance with CLIA and OSHA.
Execute and analyze test in areas including, hematology, urinalysis, serology, bacteriology, chemistry and transfusion services.
Assist in Cerner LIS system implementation and resource as super user.
Experience in immunology, infectious disease testing, and therapeutic drug monitoring.

Clinical laboratory scientist vs medical laboratory scientist skills

Common clinical laboratory scientist skills

Patients, 12%
Test Results, 8%
Microbiology, 7%
CLS, 7%
Hematology, 6%
ASCP, 6%

Common medical laboratory scientist skills

Patients, 13%
ASCP, 11%
Clinical Laboratory, 10%
MLS, 8%
Proficiency Testing, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

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Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Clinical Laboratory Scientist vs Medical Laboratory Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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