Lead laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician

The differences between lead laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a lead laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician. Additionally, a lead laboratory technician has an average salary of $54,230, which is higher than the $50,756 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a lead laboratory technician include patients, lab equipment and customer service. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory technician are patients, test results, and patient care.

Lead laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician overview

	Lead Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$54,230	$50,756
Hourly rate	$26.07	$24.40
Growth rate	3%	-
Number of jobs	77,096	119,050
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a lead laboratory technician do?

A Lead Laboratory Technician coordinates the operations of a laboratory. They supervise the preparation of specimens for tests, collection of blood, examination of blood samples, and other duties performed by the technician team.

What does a clinical laboratory technician do?

A clinical laboratory technician typically works under the direction of a physician or medical technologist to perform tests that will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions and illnesses. You will perform various duties, including preparing samples for analysis, monitoring tests and procedures, and matching blood for transfusion. Additionally, you are expected to participate in staff training and educational opportunities and contribute to a secure and safe environment for patients, physicians, co-workers, and visitors. This role will also require ensuring that laboratory information remains confidential.

Lead laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician salary

Lead laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lead Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$54,230	$50,756
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $86,000	Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Stockton, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Claxton Hepburn
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Media

Differences between lead laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a lead laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Lead Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Lead laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between lead laboratory technicians' and clinical laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Lead Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 12.9% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between lead laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Lead laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Set up, adjust, calibrate, clean, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory instruments.
Assist with FDA and OSHA audits, coordinate the center for all audits and inspections.
Accession patient information, doctor information, and testing information accurately and promptly into the NovoPath LIS system.
Develop and execute IQ/OQ/PQ at manufacturing site.
Maintain, troubleshoot, verify and calibrate laboratory equipment.

Clinical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Provide oversight of training and competency testing of technicians to ensure compliance with CLIA, HIPPA and OSHA guidelines.
Collect, process, and analyze clinical specimens for several departments including microbiology, chemistry, hematology, and urinalysis
Experience working in a hospital laboratory in automate chemistry, hematology, blood bank, urinalysis, and immunology departments.
Dispose of biohazard wastes according to OSHA standards ..
Screen blood products for pathogens and co-treatment success.

Lead laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician skills

Common lead laboratory technician skills

Patients, 12%
Lab Equipment, 11%
Customer Service, 9%
Ongoing Maintenance, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Chemistry, 4%

Common clinical laboratory technician skills

Patients, 16%
Test Results, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Hematology, 5%
Body Fluids, 4%
Proficiency Testing, 4%

Lead Laboratory Technician vs. similar jobs

Lead Laboratory Technician related careers

Lead Laboratory Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Lead Laboratory Technician
Lead Laboratory Technician vs Clinical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs