Laboratory specialist vs medical laboratory technician

The differences between laboratory specialists and medical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a laboratory specialist, becoming a medical laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical laboratory technician has an average salary of $51,780, which is higher than the $50,357 average annual salary of a laboratory specialist.

The top three skills for a laboratory specialist include chemistry, patients and test results. The most important skills for a medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.

Laboratory specialist vs medical laboratory technician overview

	Laboratory Specialist	Medical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$50,357	$51,780
Hourly rate	$24.21	$24.89
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	68,634	88,721
Job satisfaction	-	3.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Associate Degree, 55%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	12

What does a laboratory specialist do?

A laboratory specialist develops the areas assigned to them and promotes maximum resource allocation and utilization to achieve their goals. Laboratory specialists handle storage and backup devices, support telecommunication-associated equipment, and relay customer requests and issues. It is their job to process specimens in toxicology, coagulation, microbiology, hematology, chemistry, and urinalysis. Skills and knowledge in a photo lab, cell culture, customer service, and test cases are necessary for this position.

What does a medical laboratory technician do?

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 specialist vs medical laboratory technician salary

Laboratory specialists and medical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Specialist	Medical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$50,357	$51,780
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $69,000	Between $37,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Alaska
Best paying company	Nokia	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between laboratory specialist and medical laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a laboratory specialist and a medical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Specialist	Medical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Associate Degree, 55%
Most common major	Biology	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science
Most common college	SUNY Stony Brook	University of Maryland - College Park

Laboratory specialist vs medical laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory specialists' and medical laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Laboratory Specialist	Medical Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory specialist and medical laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Laboratory specialist example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Process specimens in the areas of chemistry, toxicology, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and microbiology.
Perform general routine clinical laboratory testing in the areas of clinical chemistry, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis and blood bank.
Perform DNA and RNA isolation, standard and real time PCR, primer design, gene sequence analysis.
Perform clinical laboratory procedures in hematology, clinical chemistry and urinalysis.
Provide customer service to patients and clinicians while collecting specimens and providing patient education.

Medical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing office functions through strong knowledge of PACS, Fuji CR, and EMR systems.
Accomplish constant multitasking between phlebotomy, reception and lab on a daily basis while providing outstanding customer communication skills.
Conduct clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and specimen analysis in hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, serology and immunology.
Experience in the areas of chemistry, hematology, serology, urinalysis, coagulation and microbiology specimen preparation.
Serve as rotational general laboratory technician in urinalysis, serology, chemistry, hematology, coagulation, microbiology, and shipping.
Pass and receive ASCP MLT certification upon graduation.

Laboratory specialist vs medical laboratory technician skills

Common laboratory specialist skills

Chemistry, 10%
Patients, 10%
Test Results, 8%
Laboratory Tests, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Centrifuges, 5%

Common medical laboratory technician skills

Medical Laboratory, 10%
Patients, 10%
ASCP, 9%
Clinical Laboratory, 8%
MLT, 6%
Patient Care, 4%

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Laboratory Specialist
Laboratory Specialist vs Medical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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