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The differences between laboratory aides and laboratory coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a laboratory aide, becoming a laboratory coordinator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a laboratory coordinator has an average salary of $52,690, 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 a laboratory coordinator are lab equipment, patients, and patient care.
| Laboratory Aide | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $28,083 | $52,690 |
| Hourly rate | $13.50 | $25.33 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 89,595 | 64,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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.
A laboratory coordinator is responsible for supporting laboratory examinations and experiments, collecting laboratory samples, and ensuring the efficiency and performance of laboratory tools and equipment. Laboratory coordinators maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the laboratory facility at all times to avoid contaminations and hazards that may affect laboratory results and accuracy of examinations. They also perform scientific processes under the supervision of a scientist or laboratory technicians and keep an organized report of findings in the database.
Laboratory aides and laboratory coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Aide | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $28,083 | $52,690 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $38,000 | Between $38,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Illumina | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a laboratory aide and a laboratory coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Aide | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between laboratory aides' and laboratory coordinators' demographics:
| Laboratory Aide | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6% | Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5% |
| 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, 10.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |