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The differences between laboratory engineers and medical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a laboratory engineer, becoming a medical laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a laboratory engineer has an average salary of $92,242, which is higher than the $51,780 average annual salary of a medical laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a laboratory engineer include C++, lab environment and UL. The most important skills for a medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.
| Laboratory Engineer | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $92,242 | $51,780 |
| Hourly rate | $44.35 | $24.89 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 121,212 | 88,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
A laboratory engineer specializes in designing and developing tools and machinery for laboratory operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities include installing and maintaining equipment, performing extensive research and analysis, coordinating with other experts, and identifying areas needing improvement, implementing solutions as required. They must also conduct regular maintenance checks on systems, performing corrective measures promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a laboratory engineer, it is essential to provide technical support while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.
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 engineers and medical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Engineer | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $92,242 | $51,780 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $135,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Meta | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a laboratory engineer and a medical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Engineer | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between laboratory engineers' and medical laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Laboratory Engineer | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.3% Female, 13.7% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 14.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |