What does a laboratory instructor do?
A Laboratory Instructor works closely with students and faculty in laboratories. They set up and prepare the laboratory for experiments, and organize and maintain equipment and supplies. They also teach students how to properly use laboratory equipment, tools, and machines. Laboratory Instructors are responsible for maintaining the routine preventative maintenance of all laboratory equipment. Other duties include reinforcing laboratory housekeeping and safety protocol, coordinating with other engineering departments, and receiving, installing, and maintaining laboratory supplies and equipment.
Laboratory instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real laboratory instructor resumes:
- Assist classmates with developing positive study habits and strategies for managing classroom material.
- Lecture on physiology via computer simulations which include group student discussion.
- Prepare physiology equipment and dissection demonstration cats for other teaching assistants to follow.
- Upgrade PowerPoint presentations with audio/visual animations and computer graphics, which appeal to the students thus increasing their attentiveness.
- Demonstrate unit components utilizing hands-on instruction and PowerPoint presentations; describe experimentation process, and guide students through executing experiments.
- Identify appropriate techniques for teaching and responding to literature, and ways to effectively use literacy to positively impact diversity education.
- Have extensive knowledge and experience to work with instruments like HPLC & UV-Vis.
- Instruct junior level engineering students in lab and classroom settings to perform experiments relate to fundamentals in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
Laboratory instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 26% of Laboratory Instructors are proficient in Lab Procedures, Molecular Biology, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Organizational skills, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Laboratory Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Lab Procedures, 26%
Position entails instruction and lab procedures, working with students in the 7th-12th grade.
- Molecular Biology, 8%
Conducted undergraduate molecular biology and biochemistry laboratory activities under guidance of principal course instructors.
- Patient Care, 7%
Assessed the ability of all students to provide safe transportation and quality patient careering emergency situations.
- Anatomy, 5%
Instructed laboratory procedures for Biology/Human Anatomy and Physiology/Botany.
- Student Performance, 5%
Evaluated student performance in the classroom and laboratory setting using outcomes-based assessments.
- Organic Chemistry, 5%
Provided instruction and evaluated student reports and assignments for Organic Chemistry II Laboratory Experiential Training
"lab procedures," "molecular biology," and "patient care" are among the most common skills that laboratory instructors use at work. You can find even more laboratory instructor responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a laboratory instructor to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "career and technical education teachers must explain concepts in terms that students can understand." Additionally, a laboratory instructor resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "correspond with students on blackboard or related inter-campus communication system. "
Organizational skills. Many laboratory instructor duties rely on organizational skills. "career and technical education teachers must coordinate their time and teaching materials.," so a laboratory instructor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways laboratory instructor responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "teach medical terminology skills used speaking skills, organizational skills, knowledge in medical billing and coding and mos. "
Patience. laboratory instructors are also known for patience, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to laboratory instructor responsibilities, because "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds can be difficult." A laboratory instructor resume example shows how patience is used in the workplace: "embodied and honored the instructor s code of ethics of professionalism, patience, rapport, respect, and admission. "
The three companies that hire the most laboratory instructors are:
- Johns Hopkins University5 laboratory instructors jobs
- Virginia's Community Colleges5 laboratory instructors jobs
- Western Governors University4 laboratory instructors jobs
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Compare different laboratory instructors
Laboratory instructor vs. Teaching fellow
An individual who works at an institution to foster the students' academic strive is known as a teaching fellow. They are known as a self-motivated and education-based counselor. They help to pursue a better career perspective in an individual's academic endeavors.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between laboratory instructors and teaching fellow. For instance, laboratory instructor responsibilities require skills such as "lab procedures," "molecular biology," "patient care," and "lab equipment." Whereas a teaching fellow is skilled in "classroom management," "academic support," "rehabilitation," and "math." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Teaching fellows tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $49,553. In contrast, laboratory instructors make the biggest average salary, $48,892, in the education industry.teaching fellows tend to reach similar levels of education than laboratory instructors. In fact, teaching fellows are 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Laboratory instructor vs. Adjunct faculty
Adjunct faculty is the collective term for adjunct professors or lecturers. The adjunct faculty teaches students based on the limited-term of their contract. Oftentimes, they teach preparatory or introductory courses by semester arrangement for the entire academic year. Most of them are employed in higher education. Unlike regular professors, adjunct faculty do not have benefits and are not required to be present in meetings. They can work as either a contract professor or a part-time professor.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real laboratory instructor resumes. While laboratory instructor responsibilities can utilize skills like "lab procedures," "molecular biology," "patient care," and "organic chemistry," adjunct faculties use skills like "student learning," "philosophy," "professional development," and "course syllabus."
Adjunct faculties may earn a higher salary than laboratory instructors, but adjunct faculties earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $115,189. On the other hand, laboratory instructors receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $48,892.In general, adjunct faculties achieve higher levels of education than laboratory instructors. They're 16.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for laboratory instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Helen Callus
Professor of Viola, Northwestern University
I imagine this might become part of the framework that we offer in the future. Students should understand how to present themselves in these situations, understanding sound and picture quality devices (what microphones and cameras are best), internet speeds, ethernet cables, router devices, lighting, etc. But it is an excellent opportunity to understand the media of film/video and how to create best a sound video recording for competitions, summer festivals, or college applications. We were already using that medium for prescreens, so this is a chance to refine that skill as, without doubt, that will be a part of our future.
Laboratory instructor vs. Teacher-in-training
A teacher-in-training is a teaching professional who offers technical teaching assistance to teachers in developing effective behavior management and instructional strategies to support student learning. The teacher must collaborate with principals while employing diverse techniques to increase the effectiveness of student learning. By observing classes and then giving feedback to teachers about their teaching style, classroom management, and techniques are some of the responsibilities of a teacher-in-training. The teacher must also develop a wide array of curriculum materials and lesson plans for classroom instruction.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from laboratory instructor resumes include skills like "lab procedures," "molecular biology," "patient care," and "anatomy," whereas a teacher-in-training is more likely to list skills in "classroom management," "k-12," "staff development," and "student achievement. "
Teachers-in training earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $39,697. Comparatively, laboratory instructors have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $48,892.When it comes to education, teachers-in training tend to earn higher degree levels compared to laboratory instructors. In fact, they're 6.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Laboratory instructor vs. Teaching associate
Even though a few skill sets overlap between laboratory instructors and teaching associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a laboratory instructor might have more use for skills like "lab procedures," "patient care," "anatomy," and "lab equipment." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of teaching associates require skills like "laboratory courses," "ta," "student learning," and "literature. "
In general, teaching associates earn the most working in the education industry, with an average salary of $45,119. The highest-paying industry for a laboratory instructor is the education industry.In general, teaching associates hold higher degree levels compared to laboratory instructors. Teaching associates are 5.5% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of laboratory instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
