Laboratory associate vs medical technologist

The differences between laboratory associates and medical technologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a laboratory associate, becoming a medical technologist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical technologist has an average salary of $53,249, 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 technologist are patients, clinical laboratory, and ASCP.

Laboratory associate vs medical technologist overview

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Technologist
Yearly salary	$42,756	$53,249
Hourly rate	$20.56	$25.60
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	50,050	116,495
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	2

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 technologist do?

A medical technologist's role is to conduct laboratory tests with accuracy and speed. It is their responsibility to gather, prepare, and analyze samples such as blood, tissues, and bodily fluid. The produced results will be crucial to a patient's diagnosis and further treatments. It is also essential for medical technologists to keep a precise record of data and coordinate with fellow team members and physicians to ensure the fast and efficient delivery of results. Furthermore, a medical technologist can choose to work in different establishments such as a hospital, laboratory, or private clinic.

Laboratory associate vs medical technologist salary

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

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Technologist
Average salary	$42,756	$53,249
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $63,000	Between $41,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Children's Hospital Colorado
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between laboratory associate and medical technologist education

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

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Technologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Biology	Medical Technician
Most common college	New York University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Laboratory associate vs medical technologist demographics

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

	Laboratory Associate	Medical Technologist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5%
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, 11.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory associate and medical technologist 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 technologist example responsibilities.

Manage departmental recovery activities after installation of upgrades affecting the LIS affect.
Perform medical/laboratory procedures in all departments including microbiology, chemistry, blood bank, hematology, urinalysis, and immunology.
Perform laboratory test to corporal fluids applying analysis fields like biochemistry, microbiology, hematology, immunology, urinalysis and blood bank
Execute and analyze laboratory test in biochemistry, urinalysis, hematology, microbiology, blood bank and serology department.
Direct participation on proficiency testing programs on hematology, chemistry, urinalysis, blood bank, serology, and bacteriology.
Work full-time as an evening/night shift generalist rotating through hematology, urinalysis, serology, chemistry, blood bank and microbiology.

Laboratory associate vs medical technologist skills

Common laboratory associate skills

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

Common medical technologist skills

Patients, 10%
Clinical Laboratory, 8%
ASCP, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Patient Care, 4%
Microbiology, 4%

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Laboratory Associate
Laboratory Associate vs Medical Technologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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