How To Become A Lead Laboratory Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead laboratory assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Martin Renaldi MT (ASCP), MPA,

Xenia Morin Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a lead laboratory assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.96 an hour? That's $39,437 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 117,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a lead laboratory assistant?

Martin Renaldi MT (ASCP), MPA

Assistant Professor / MLS Program Director, Northern Michigan University

Experience. I have found through my time in the realm that an experienced lab tech is going to be highly sought after and henceforth will have optimal pay opportunities. As the word implies, experience can only be achieved through 'time in the lab' which means you have to put in your time to gather that resume boosting element, experience. Once that happens, then even more doors open up in the profession.

ScoreLead Laboratory AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,437

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 12.03%

Black or African American 10.36%

Hispanic or Latino 17.23%

Unknown 5.12%

White 54.46%

Gender

female 70.10%

male 29.90%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.7

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead laboratory assistant

Explore lead laboratory assistant education requirements

Most common lead laboratory assistant degrees

Bachelor's

50.3 %

Associate

18.1 %

Certificate

12.9 %

Start to develop specific lead laboratory assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Phlebotomy	20.85%
Laboratory Specimens	17.23%
Patients	7.14%
Patient Care	5.79%
EMR	4.39%

Complete relevant lead laboratory assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead laboratory assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead laboratory assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead laboratory assistant resumes.

Research lead laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage daily laboratory operations including personnel, client consulting, analyses and adherence to GLP protocols.
Conduct a monthly inventory of the chemistry stock room supplies.
Conduct ongoing training of all lab assistants to use equipment properly (Stainers, processors, centrifuges etc .).
Prepare reagents for microbiology specimens.

Get lead laboratory assistant experience

Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become a lead laboratory assistant. The most common roles before becoming a lead laboratory assistant include laboratory assistant, medical assistant team lead and phlebotomist.

Prepare your lead laboratory assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead laboratory assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead laboratory assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lead laboratory assistant resume templates

Build a professional lead laboratory assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lead laboratory assistant resume.