Laboratory associate vs research laboratory technician

The differences between laboratory associates and research laboratory technicians 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 research laboratory technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a laboratory associate has an average salary of $42,756, which is higher than the $38,308 average annual salary of a research laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a laboratory associate include patients, specimen handling and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Laboratory associate vs research laboratory technician overview

	Laboratory Associate	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$42,756	$38,308
Hourly rate	$20.56	$18.42
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	50,050	86,476
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	40
Years of experience	12	4

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 research laboratory technician do?

Research laboratory technicians play a vital role in scientific laboratories. They perform varied duties and responsibilities, which include setting up, operating, and maintaining the laboratory equipment, assisting in laboratory-based research activities such as sampling, testing, and analyzing results, and providing technical support to the laboratory team members. In addition, they are expected to support the development and advancement of science and modern medicine. Other typical duties of research laboratory technicians include preparing samples and specimens, keeping abreast with current technical developments, and ensuring strict compliance with safety procedures.

Laboratory associate vs research laboratory technician salary

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

	Laboratory Associate	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$42,756	$38,308
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $63,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	Alaska	Illinois
Best paying company	Meta	Accenture
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between laboratory associate and research laboratory technician education

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

	Laboratory Associate	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	Cornell University

Laboratory associate vs research laboratory technician demographics

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

	Laboratory Associate	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	40
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
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, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 15.7% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between laboratory associate and research 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.

Research laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage RT-PCR screening of candidate genes.
Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Use many scientific techniques to collect and analyze RNA, DNA, and specific proteins from lines of potato plants.
Preform computational molecular simulation of DNA and RNA.
Retain patients from previous research projects and update database using patient histories and correlating pertinent medical data.
Work with non human primates in an HIV testing laboratory.

Laboratory associate vs research laboratory technician skills

Common laboratory associate skills

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

Common research laboratory technician skills

Patients, 9%
Chemistry, 7%
Laboratory Equipment, 7%
Cell Culture, 5%
Research Data, 4%
Research Projects, 4%

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Laboratory Associate
Laboratory Associate vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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