Laboratory clerk vs office clerk

The differences between laboratory clerks and office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a laboratory clerk and an office clerk. Additionally, a laboratory clerk has an average salary of $32,182, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

The top three skills for a laboratory clerk include patients, phlebotomy and lab specimens. The most important skills for an office clerk are customer service, data entry, and telephone calls.

Laboratory clerk vs office clerk overview

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,182	$30,927
Hourly rate	$15.47	$14.87
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	105,165	106,497
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a laboratory clerk do?

A laboratory clerk is responsible for a variety of tasks needed to process, report, and deliver laboratory tests and results. These include coordinating patient specimen collection, managing requests for laboratory tests, and adhering to laboratory safety rules and standards. As a laboratory clerk, you will be responsible for storing and retrieving copies of lab test reports. You must inform the lab supervisor about malfunctioning office equipment. In addition, you are also responsible for preparing and sending laboratory reports to physicians.

What does an office clerk do?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Laboratory clerk vs office clerk salary

Laboratory clerks and office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Clerk
Average salary	$32,182	$30,927
Salary range	Between $15,000 And $65,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Englewood, CO
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between laboratory clerk and office clerk education

There are a few differences between a laboratory clerk and an office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Laboratory clerk vs office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory clerks' and office clerks' demographics:

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between laboratory clerk and office clerk duties and responsibilities

Laboratory clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Train and follow strict HIPAA laws for protection of patient privacy.
Ensure patient safeguard, protection and comply to all company policies, procedures and HIPAA regulations
Process and organize patients' medical lab records and maintain records accuracy.
Confer with patients to obtain information for laboratory records, explain testing and addressed patient concerns.
Perform immunological, chemical, microbiological, and hematological tests, critically examine results for accuracy, troubleshoot discrepancies.

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Office clerk example responsibilities.

Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.
Perform account analysis on credit balance accounts using insurance explanation of benefit information (EOB).
Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provide.

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Laboratory clerk vs office clerk skills

Common laboratory clerk skills

Patients, 32%
Phlebotomy, 10%
Lab Specimens, 6%
Computer System, 4%
Computer Data Entry, 4%
Medical Terminology, 4%

Common office clerk skills

Customer Service, 21%
Data Entry, 18%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Payroll, 5%
Office Equipment, 4%
Office Machines, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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