Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between laboratory aides and assistant laboratory 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 laboratory aide and an assistant laboratory technician. Additionally, an assistant laboratory technician has an average salary of $35,556, which is higher than the $28,083 average annual salary of a laboratory aide.
The top three skills for a laboratory aide include patients, specimen handling and lab equipment. The most important skills for an assistant laboratory technician are patients, ladders, and computer lab.
| Laboratory Aide | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $28,083 | $35,556 |
| Hourly rate | $13.50 | $17.09 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 89,595 | 116,488 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A laboratory aide is primarily responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and order in laboratories, all while performing support tasks for scientists. Their duties revolve around arranging specimens and samples, transporting materials from one laboratory to another, preparing apparatuses and machines, and storing them accordingly. A laboratory aide may also run errands, produce progress reports, sanitize areas and instruments, and properly dispose of chemicals and other hazardous waste. Furthermore, it is crucial to implement the laboratory's safety policies and regulations, ensuring a safe and healthy laboratory environment for everyone.
The primary responsibility of a lab assistant is to help scientists and technologists. Lab assistants are assigned to prepare and monitor tests and experiments in research or medical laboratory. They analyze data and establish reports based on test results. Also, they set up the tools and equipment used in the lab. It is also part of their job to clean the lab rooms--knowledge in lab management, communication skills, attention to detail, and medical-related management.
Laboratory aides and assistant laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Aide | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $28,083 | $35,556 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $38,000 | Between $21,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Manchester, NH |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Illumina | Patterson-UTI Energy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a laboratory aide and an assistant laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Aide | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between laboratory aides' and assistant laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Laboratory Aide | Assistant Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6% | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 12.1% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |