Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between laboratory chemists and medical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a laboratory chemist has an average salary of $62,702, which is higher than the $51,780 average annual salary of a medical laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a laboratory chemist include lab equipment, chromatography and analytical methods. The most important skills for a medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.
| Laboratory Chemist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $62,702 | $51,780 |
| Hourly rate | $30.15 | $24.89 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 41,322 | 88,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
Laboratory Chemists are licensed scientists who work with chemicals. They are usually found in academic institutions or research facilities. Laboratory Chemists create experiments based on the needs of the institution or company. They mix different chemicals to make the desired results. They would also analyze compounds borne out of the different mixtures and record their observations. They tabulate the results and present these to the body. Laboratory Chemists should have good organization skills. They should be able to document their experiments properly. This would help the company and future researchers.
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 chemists and medical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Chemist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $62,702 | $51,780 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $86,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Nutley, NJ | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Alaska |
| Best paying company | BASF | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a laboratory chemist and a medical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Chemist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between laboratory chemists' and medical laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Laboratory Chemist | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 5% | 8% |