Medical laboratory scientist vs biomedical scientist

The differences between medical laboratory scientists and biomedical scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical laboratory scientist, becoming a biomedical scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a biomedical scientist has an average salary of $72,246, which is higher than the $54,377 average annual salary of a medical laboratory scientist.

The top three skills for a medical laboratory scientist include patients, ASCP and clinical laboratory. The most important skills for a biomedical scientist are biomedical, research program, and extraction.

Medical laboratory scientist vs biomedical scientist overview

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Biomedical Scientist
Yearly salary	$54,377	$72,246
Hourly rate	$26.14	$34.73
Growth rate	-	17%
Number of jobs	121,913	53,739
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	41
Years of experience	2	4

What does a medical laboratory scientist do?

As a medical laboratory scientist, you will be responsible for analyzing various types of body specimens, including blood, tissue, and urine. You will conduct scientific testing on samples and report the results to physicians. These results play an essential role in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions or illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Your duties and responsibilities may include maintaining laboratory equipment such as microscopes and cell counters, tracking patient outcomes, and conducting differential cell counts. You are also expected to oversee the work of laboratory technicians.

What does a biomedical scientist do?

A biomedical scientist conducts studies to help doctors diagnose and treat various illnesses. They primarily work at laboratories where they gather and analyze samples through different laboratory procedures, perform experiments, utilize special tools and equipment, perform experiments, identify blood groups, and monitor the effect of medication and treatment on the patients. Through their research findings, a biomedical scientist interprets the results and produces written reports, all while maintaining extensive records of every procedure. Moreover, a biomedical scientist keeps a clear communication line with fellow scientists and staff for an efficient and successful workflow.

Medical laboratory scientist vs biomedical scientist salary

Medical laboratory scientists and biomedical scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Biomedical Scientist
Average salary	$54,377	$72,246
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $71,000	Between $44,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	Reno, NV	Sunnyvale, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and biomedical scientist education

There are a few differences between a medical laboratory scientist and a biomedical scientist in terms of educational background:

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Biomedical Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	Biology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Southern California

Medical laboratory scientist vs biomedical scientist demographics

Here are the differences between medical laboratory scientists' and biomedical scientists' demographics:

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Biomedical Scientist
Average age	44	41
Gender ratio	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%	Male, 49.6% Female, 50.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.7% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and biomedical scientist duties and responsibilities

Medical laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

Attain extensive phlebotomy experience with a challenging pediatric patient population.
Perform complex laboratory diagnostic tests as medical laboratory scientist in hematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology, urinalysis and blood bank.
Evaluate quality control within the laboratory using standard laboratory test and measurement controls while maintaining compliance with CLIA and OSHA.
Execute and analyze test in areas including, hematology, urinalysis, serology, bacteriology, chemistry and transfusion services.
Assist in Cerner LIS system implementation and resource as super user.
Experience in immunology, infectious disease testing, and therapeutic drug monitoring.

Biomedical scientist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Invent SLOP-PCR and a novel fluorogenic probe for live-time PCR.
Prepare functional membranes from mammalian cells for high throughput assays.
Operate and perform quality assurance on large vault style autoclaves.
Provide CDMRP with custom meeting summary documents that meet their specific needs
Construct genomic libraries, sequence clones, devise sequence specific PCR primers.

Medical laboratory scientist vs biomedical scientist skills

Common medical laboratory scientist skills

Patients, 13%
ASCP, 11%
Clinical Laboratory, 10%
MLS, 8%
Proficiency Testing, 5%
Patient Care, 4%

Common biomedical scientist skills

Biomedical, 56%
Research Program, 10%
Extraction, 5%
PCR, 4%
Sops, 4%
FDA, 3%

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Medical Laboratory Scientist
Medical Laboratory Scientist vs Biomedical Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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