Laboratory assistant vs medical service technician

The differences between laboratory assistants and medical service technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical service technician has an average salary of $37,943, which is higher than the $34,168 average annual salary of a laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a laboratory assistant include patients, phlebotomy and customer service. The most important skills for a medical service technician are patients, customer service, and vital signs.

Laboratory assistant vs medical service technician overview

	Laboratory Assistant	Medical Service Technician
Yearly salary	$34,168	$37,943
Hourly rate	$16.43	$18.24
Growth rate	9%	7%
Number of jobs	50,853	189,362
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	44	36
Years of experience	12	-

What does a laboratory assistant do?

Laboratory assistants work for researchers, scientists, or professors in the laboratory setting. They are expected to have a solid background in the field of study of the laboratory they are assigned to. They do a variety of tasks in the laboratory, such as setting up equipment, observing experiments, analyzing results, creating reports, and recommending improvements to the testing. They may also be assigned to clean and sanitize laboratory equipment as needed. Laboratory assistants should have good research skills, analytical skills, and organizational skills.

What does a medical service technician do?

A medical service technician provides health care and treatments to patients under the supervision or directives of a more experienced physician. Most of their responsibilities revolve around assessing a patient's condition, administering required aid, diagnosing patients, conducting check-ups, and counseling patients. There are also instances when a medical service technician may prescribe medications, conduct inspections at facilities to ensure sanitary conditions, and coordinate with hospital staff for requesting supplies. Furthermore, it is crucial to have accurate documentation of all processes and transactions, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and standards.

Laboratory assistant vs medical service technician salary

Laboratory assistants and medical service technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Assistant	Medical Service Technician
Average salary	$34,168	$37,943
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $44,000	Between $23,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Salem, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Connecticut
Best paying company	UST Global	Sunrise Systems
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between laboratory assistant and medical service technician education

There are a few differences between a laboratory assistant and a medical service technician in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Assistant	Medical Service Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Biology	Nursing
Most common college	New York University	University of Virginia

Laboratory assistant vs medical service technician demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory assistants' and medical service technicians' demographics:

	Laboratory Assistant	Medical Service Technician
Average age	44	36
Gender ratio	Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%	Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 13.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory assistant and medical service technician duties and responsibilities

Laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
Maintain and QC check laboratory equipment.
Preform laboratory duties using microscopes, centrifuges and a host of other laboratory equipment.
Provide excellent customer service to patients while accurately updating patient demographics, insurance and billing information in LabCorp LCM program.
Provide continuing education in the form of periodic in-services relating the phlebotomy procedures, tests and proper specimen collection requirements.
Process eyewear to meet national ANSII and OSHA standards.

Medical service technician example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Administer and document vaccinations and perform strep tests, finger sticks, urinalysis, and various need lab tests.
Run QC on all lab instrumentation ensuring reports are within acceptable limits.
Keep track of all POC inventory, reagents, QC materials and equipment validations.
Apply cold packs to affect injuries of the patient, fit crutches on patients.
Maintain all training and CPR certifications in order to actively participate in codes with in the hospital.

Laboratory assistant vs medical service technician skills

Common laboratory assistant skills

Patients, 15%
Phlebotomy, 12%
Customer Service, 6%
Lab Procedures, 5%
Specimen Collection, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

Common medical service technician skills

Patients, 18%
Customer Service, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%
Infection Control, 5%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%

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Laboratory Assistant
Laboratory Assistant vs Medical Service Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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