Clinical laboratory scientist vs pharmacist technician

The differences between clinical laboratory scientists and pharmacist technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $67,900, which is higher than the $36,090 average annual salary of a pharmacist technician.

The top three skills for a clinical laboratory scientist include patients, test results and microbiology. The most important skills for a pharmacist technician are patients, math, and direct supervision.

Clinical laboratory scientist vs pharmacist technician overview

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Pharmacist Technician
Yearly salary	$67,900	$36,090
Hourly rate	$32.64	$17.35
Growth rate	17%	5%
Number of jobs	133,838	73,800
Job satisfaction	4	1
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	44	38
Years of experience	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 pharmacist technician do?

Pharmacist technicians assist pharmacists in their daily activities. They receive prescription medicine order requests of customers, validate the prescription, prepare the medicines, properly label medicine bottles, and hand them off to customers. They also answer customer inquiries and attend to customer concerns. Pharmacist technicians also manage the pharmacy's inventory and ensure that all records are up to date. They are also authorized to create purchase requisition requests for medicines that are running low and need to be refilled, but these requests should still be authorized by a doctor.

Clinical laboratory scientist vs pharmacist technician salary

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

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Pharmacist Technician
Average salary	$67,900	$36,090
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $99,000	Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Westpac	Valley Presbyterian Hospital
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between clinical laboratory scientist and pharmacist technician education

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

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Pharmacist Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Pharmacy
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	-

Clinical laboratory scientist vs pharmacist technician demographics

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

	Clinical Laboratory Scientist	Pharmacist Technician
Average age	44	38
Gender ratio	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%
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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	5%

Differences between clinical laboratory scientist and pharmacist technician 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

Pharmacist technician example responsibilities.

Manage the OPTIFILL (automation) operations and maintenance of equipment, including the PYXIS medication dispensing machine.
Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
Manage inventory; process physician orders; prepare chemotherapy and intravenous medications; support departments in distribution and preparation of medications.
Consult with patients as an (CPhT) on their medical usages via written prescription by authorize medical personnel.
Compound TPN's (total peripheral nutrition), chemotherapy, iv admixture, antibiotics, and other pharmacy medications.
Record customer information into Rx computer system.

Clinical laboratory scientist vs pharmacist technician skills

Common clinical laboratory scientist skills

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

Common pharmacist technician skills

Patients, 32%
Math, 12%
Direct Supervision, 5%
HIPAA, 4%
Collective Bargaining, 4%
Telephone Calls, 4%

Clinical Laboratory Scientist vs. similar jobs

Clinical Laboratory Scientist related careers

Clinical Laboratory Scientist related jobs

Clinical Laboratory Scientist jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Clinical Laboratory Scientist vs Pharmacist Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs