Laboratory support technician vs laboratory specialist

The differences between laboratory support technicians and laboratory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a laboratory support technician, becoming a laboratory specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a laboratory specialist has an average salary of $50,357, which is higher than the $36,799 average annual salary of a laboratory support technician.

The top three skills for a laboratory support technician include patients, phlebotomy and customer service. The most important skills for a laboratory specialist are chemistry, patients, and test results.

Laboratory support technician vs laboratory specialist overview

	Laboratory Support Technician	Laboratory Specialist
Yearly salary	$36,799	$50,357
Hourly rate	$17.69	$24.21
Growth rate	-	10%
Number of jobs	131,128	68,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	2

What does a laboratory support technician do?

A laboratory support technician is responsible for assisting scientists and medical professionals in conducting experiments and laboratory examinations. Laboratory support technicians organize samples, label them accurately, and record the results timely on the system. They also ensure that all the laboratory tools and equipment are sterilized and well-maintained, avoiding possible contaminations that may affect the accuracy of deliverables. A laboratory support technician coordinates with the patients for appointments, releasing of medical results, and applying scientific methods on evaluating data. They may also perform administrative and clerical duties as needed under the supervision of a head laboratory technician.

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.

Laboratory support technician vs laboratory specialist salary

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

	Laboratory Support Technician	Laboratory Specialist
Average salary	$36,799	$50,357
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $50,000	Between $36,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Thousand Oaks, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Maine	Hawaii
Best paying company	Sandia National Labs	Nokia
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between laboratory support technician and laboratory specialist education

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

	Laboratory Support Technician	Laboratory Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	SUNY Stony Brook

Laboratory support technician vs laboratory specialist demographics

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

	Laboratory Support Technician	Laboratory Specialist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6%	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 10.9% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory support technician and laboratory specialist duties and responsibilities

Laboratory support technician example responsibilities.

Manage company LIMS database system of test results and implement new and improve testing procedures.
Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Improve preparation technique of media and reagents utilizing QC and GMP experience.
Run, QC, and report PCR and EIA testing.
Take QC and temperatures, decontamination.
Used various centrifuges to spin the specimens.

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.

Laboratory support technician vs laboratory specialist skills

Common laboratory support technician skills

Patients, 16%
Phlebotomy, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Laboratory Procedures, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
Specimen Collection, 5%

Common laboratory specialist skills

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

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Laboratory Support Technician
Laboratory Support Technician vs Laboratory Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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