Laboratory associate vs laboratory assistant

The differences between laboratory associates and laboratory assistants 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 associate and a laboratory assistant. Additionally, a laboratory associate has an average salary of $42,756, which is higher than the $34,168 average annual salary of a laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a laboratory associate include patients, specimen handling and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and customer service.

Laboratory associate vs laboratory assistant overview

	Laboratory Associate	Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary	$42,756	$34,168
Hourly rate	$20.56	$16.43
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	50,050	50,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a laboratory associate do?

A laboratory associate's responsibilities revolve around preparing test samples and subjecting them into different examination processes for scientific purposes. Aside from performing extensive analysis, they are also responsible for recording data, reviewing findings, collaborating with other scientists, and producing various reports and presentations. A laboratory associate can work for an institution or private company; they may also choose to contribute their studies in different publications and research activities. Furthermore, as a laboratory practitioner, it is essential to adhere to all the laboratory safety policies and regulations, ensuring a safe and healthy work environment.

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.

Laboratory associate vs laboratory assistant salary

Laboratory associates and laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Associate	Laboratory Assistant
Average salary	$42,756	$34,168
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $63,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Meta	UST Global
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between laboratory associate and laboratory assistant education

There are a few differences between a laboratory associate and a laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Associate	Laboratory Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Laboratory associate vs laboratory assistant demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory associates' and laboratory assistants' demographics:

	Laboratory Associate	Laboratory Assistant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 12.2% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory associate and laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Laboratory associate example responsibilities.

Manage supply inventory and maintain cleanliness.
Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Direct patient care, phlebotomy, medical billing, clinical laboratory specimen collection, reference laboratory coordinator, specimen courier.
Operate combines to harvest crops for yield-testing field crops.
Perform fluorescence in situ hybridization in a CLIA certify lab.
Utilize CoPath for receiving specimen and reporting out of test results.

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.

Laboratory associate vs laboratory assistant skills

Common laboratory associate skills

Patients, 10%
Specimen Handling, 6%
Phlebotomy, 6%
Chemistry, 6%
Customer Service, 4%
Patient Care, 4%

Common laboratory assistant skills

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

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Laboratory Associate
Laboratory Associate vs Laboratory Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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