Laboratory internship vs research laboratory technician

The differences between laboratory interns and research laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a laboratory internship and a research laboratory technician. Additionally, a research laboratory technician has an average salary of $38,308, which is higher than the $35,305 average annual salary of a laboratory internship.

The top three skills for a laboratory internship include lab procedures, chemistry and python. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Laboratory internship vs research laboratory technician overview

	Laboratory Internship	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$35,305	$38,308
Hourly rate	$16.97	$18.42
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	90,970	86,476
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a laboratory internship do?

A laboratory intern is responsible for assisting laboratory operations and perform examinations and experiments under the supervision of tenured laboratory staff. Laboratory interns shadow all the laboratory processes, document their observations, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results. They must have excellent knowledge of scientific procedures, demonstrating their class learnings to practical applications. A laboratory intern must be detail-oriented, especially on conducting and verifying the accuracy of research materials. It is also required for a laboratory intern to be a fast-learner, understanding the scientific complexities to master various approaches.

What does a research laboratory technician do?

Research laboratory technicians play a vital role in scientific laboratories. They perform varied duties and responsibilities, which include setting up, operating, and maintaining the laboratory equipment, assisting in laboratory-based research activities such as sampling, testing, and analyzing results, and providing technical support to the laboratory team members. In addition, they are expected to support the development and advancement of science and modern medicine. Other typical duties of research laboratory technicians include preparing samples and specimens, keeping abreast with current technical developments, and ensuring strict compliance with safety procedures.

Laboratory internship vs research laboratory technician salary

Laboratory interns and research laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Internship	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$35,305	$38,308
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $48,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Jersey City, NJ	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Illinois
Best paying company	Pacific Northwest National Laboratory	Accenture
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between laboratory internship and research laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a laboratory internship and a research laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Internship	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Laboratory internship vs research laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory interns' and research laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Laboratory Internship	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 47.8% Female, 52.2%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 18.2% White, 49.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 15.7% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between laboratory internship and research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Laboratory internship example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Perform various laboratory experiments with instructor including DNA electrophoresis, forensic studies, and DNA extraction.
Process postmortem tissue for sectioning.
Help the students learn about the basics of biology, including cells to ecology.
Mix reagents in order to create fruit fly food through the use of autoclaves.
Perform experiments concern with the synthesis of polyurethane base polymer surface modifiers (PSMs).

Research laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage RT-PCR screening of candidate genes.
Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Use many scientific techniques to collect and analyze RNA, DNA, and specific proteins from lines of potato plants.
Preform computational molecular simulation of DNA and RNA.
Retain patients from previous research projects and update database using patient histories and correlating pertinent medical data.
Work with non human primates in an HIV testing laboratory.

Laboratory internship vs research laboratory technician skills

Common laboratory internship skills

Lab Procedures, 11%
Chemistry, 10%
Python, 10%
C++, 6%
Laboratory Procedures, 6%
Laboratory Equipment, 4%

Common research laboratory technician skills

Patients, 9%
Chemistry, 7%
Laboratory Equipment, 7%
Cell Culture, 5%
Research Data, 4%
Research Projects, 4%

Laboratory Internship vs. similar jobs

Laboratory Internship related careers

Laboratory Internship related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Laboratory Internship
Laboratory Internship vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs