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The differences between laboratory support technicians and pharmacist technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a laboratory support technician has an average salary of $36,799, which is higher than the $36,090 average annual salary of a pharmacist technician.
The top three skills for a laboratory support technician include patients, phlebotomy and customer service. The most important skills for a pharmacist technician are patients, math, and direct supervision.
| Laboratory Support Technician | Pharmacist Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $36,799 | $36,090 |
| Hourly rate | $17.69 | $17.35 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 131,128 | 73,800 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
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.
Pharmacist technicians assist pharmacists in their daily activities. They receive prescription medicine order requests of customers, validate the prescription, prepare the medicines, properly label medicine bottles, and hand them off to customers. They also answer customer inquiries and attend to customer concerns. Pharmacist technicians also manage the pharmacy's inventory and ensure that all records are up to date. They are also authorized to create purchase requisition requests for medicines that are running low and need to be refilled, but these requests should still be authorized by a doctor.
Laboratory support technicians and pharmacist technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Support Technician | Pharmacist Technician | |
| Average salary | $36,799 | $36,090 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $50,000 | Between $26,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Thousand Oaks, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Sandia National Labs | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a laboratory support technician and a pharmacist technician in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Support Technician | Pharmacist Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Biology | Pharmacy |
| Most common college | New York University | - |
Here are the differences between laboratory support technicians' and pharmacist technicians' demographics:
| Laboratory Support Technician | Pharmacist Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6% | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |