Laboratory clerk vs office support clerk

The differences between laboratory clerks and office support 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 support clerk. Additionally, a laboratory clerk has an average salary of $32,182, which is higher than the $32,040 average annual salary of an office support clerk.

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

Laboratory clerk vs office support clerk overview

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Support Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,182	$32,040
Hourly rate	$15.47	$15.40
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	105,165	185,683
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
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 support clerk do?

Office support clerks are professionals who provide clerical and administrative duties that support the daily activities of an organization's office setting. These clerks are required to answer incoming calls from clients while maintaining all office and cleaning supplies for the organization. They must communicate with clients and direct them to the appropriate department to ensure quality customer service. Office support clerks must also utilize the automated word processing equipment so that they can produce reports, statistical information, and other departmental information.

Laboratory clerk vs office support clerk salary

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

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Support Clerk
Average salary	$32,182	$32,040
Salary range	Between $15,000 And $65,000	Between $25,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Tualatin, OR
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Sierra Pacific Industries
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between laboratory clerk and office support clerk education

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

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Support Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Laboratory clerk vs office support clerk demographics

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

	Laboratory Clerk	Office Support Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4%	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 7.7% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between laboratory clerk and office support 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.

Office support clerk example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Audit all deductions for each employee on payroll for various deductions such as; health care, dental and uniforms.
Initiate contact among current and potential clients by assisting in application process, new hire paperwork, and client payroll.
Compile PowerPoint presentations for various department heads.
Assist in creating Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and other documents for staff development and productivity.
Handle administrative work relate to operational process of the office and patients clinical information.

Laboratory clerk vs office support 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 support clerk skills

Customer Service, 19%
Data Entry, 17%
Word Processing, 7%
Office Equipment, 6%
Front Desk, 5%
Database Systems, 5%

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Laboratory Clerk
Laboratory Clerk vs Office Support Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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