Laboratory associate vs lead laboratory technician

The differences between laboratory associates 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 associate and a lead laboratory technician. Additionally, a lead laboratory technician has an average salary of $54,230, which is higher than the $42,756 average annual salary of a laboratory associate.

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

Laboratory associate vs lead laboratory technician overview

	Laboratory Associate	Lead Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$42,756	$54,230
Hourly rate	$20.56	$26.07
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	50,050	77,096
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
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 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 associate vs lead laboratory technician salary

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

	Laboratory Associate	Lead Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$42,756	$54,230
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $63,000	Between $33,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	New Jersey
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between laboratory associate and lead laboratory technician education

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

	Laboratory Associate	Lead Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Laboratory associate vs lead laboratory technician demographics

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

	Laboratory Associate	Lead Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%
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, 9.9% 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 associate and lead laboratory technician 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.

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 associate vs lead laboratory technician skills

Common laboratory associate skills

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

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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Laboratory Associate
Laboratory Associate vs Lead Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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