Laboratory aide vs lead laboratory technician

The differences between laboratory aides and lead 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 a lead laboratory technician. Additionally, a lead laboratory technician has an average salary of $54,230, 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 lead laboratory technician are patients, lab equipment, and customer service.

Laboratory aide vs lead laboratory technician overview

	Laboratory Aide	Lead Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$28,083	$54,230
Hourly rate	$13.50	$26.07
Growth rate	9%	3%
Number of jobs	89,595	77,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a laboratory aide do?

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.

What does a lead laboratory technician do?

A Lead Laboratory Technician coordinates the operations of a laboratory. They supervise the preparation of specimens for tests, collection of blood, examination of blood samples, and other duties performed by the technician team.

Laboratory aide vs lead laboratory technician salary

Laboratory aides and lead laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Aide	Lead Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$28,083	$54,230
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $38,000	Between $33,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Anchorage, AK	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	New Jersey
Best paying company	Illumina	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between laboratory aide and lead laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a laboratory aide and a lead laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Aide	Lead Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Laboratory aide vs lead laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory aides' and lead laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Laboratory Aide	Lead Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6%	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory aide and lead laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Laboratory aide example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Train in performing EKG's.
Attach holsters and perform EKG's.
Used PCR to phenotype blood and serum samples.
Operate centrifuges to spin testing tube samples during peak times during work shift.
Employ DNA isolation, PCR replication and gel electrophoresis to isolate genetic sequences.

Lead laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Set up, adjust, calibrate, clean, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments.
Assist with FDA and OSHA audits, coordinate the center for all audits and inspections.
Accession patient information, doctor information, and testing information accurately and promptly into the NovoPath LIS system.
Develop and execute IQ/OQ/PQ at manufacturing site.
Maintain, troubleshoot, verify and calibrate laboratory equipment.

Laboratory aide vs lead laboratory technician skills

Common laboratory aide skills

Patients, 15%
Specimen Handling, 11%
Lab Equipment, 11%
Phlebotomy, 10%
Cleanliness, 5%
Data Entry, 5%

Common lead laboratory technician skills

Patients, 12%
Lab Equipment, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Ongoing Maintenance, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Chemistry, 4%

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Laboratory Aide
Laboratory Aide vs Lead Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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