Laboratory associate vs medical laboratory technician

The differences between laboratory associates and medical 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 medical laboratory technician. Additionally, a medical laboratory technician has an average salary of $51,780, 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 medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.

Laboratory associate vs medical laboratory technician overview

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$42,756	$51,780
Hourly rate	$20.56	$24.89
Growth rate	-	16%
Number of jobs	50,050	88,721
Job satisfaction	-	3.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Associate 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 medical laboratory technician do?

A medical laboratory technician is responsible for assisting medical health professionals in conducting laboratory tests to diagnose patients' conditions and provide treatments. Medical laboratory technicians ensure the sanitation of all the tools and equipment before conducting tests. They collect adequate blood samples and specimens, analyze fluid elements, utilize laboratory equipment safely, create reports of findings, and alert medical personnel and medical technologists of emergency conditions. A medical laboratory technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry disciplines and processes to perform sensitive tasks and release accurate medical results.

Laboratory associate vs medical laboratory technician salary

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

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$42,756	$51,780
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $63,000	Between $37,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between laboratory associate and medical laboratory technician education

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

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Associate Degree, 55%
Most common major	Biology	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science
Most common college	New York University	University of Maryland - College Park

Laboratory associate vs medical laboratory technician demographics

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

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%
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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory associate and medical 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.

Medical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing office functions through strong knowledge of PACS, Fuji CR, and EMR systems.
Accomplish constant multitasking between phlebotomy, reception and lab on a daily basis while providing outstanding customer communication skills.
Conduct clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and specimen analysis in hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, serology and immunology.
Experience in the areas of chemistry, hematology, serology, urinalysis, coagulation and microbiology specimen preparation.
Serve as rotational general laboratory technician in urinalysis, serology, chemistry, hematology, coagulation, microbiology, and shipping.
Pass and receive ASCP MLT certification upon graduation.

Laboratory associate vs medical laboratory technician skills

Common laboratory associate skills

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

Common medical laboratory technician skills

Medical Laboratory, 10%
Patients, 10%
ASCP, 9%
Clinical Laboratory, 8%
MLT, 6%
Patient Care, 4%

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Laboratory Associate
Laboratory Associate vs Medical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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