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Medical laboratory scientist vs certified pharmacist technician

The differences between medical laboratory scientists and certified pharmacist technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $54,377, which is higher than the $37,059 average annual salary of a certified pharmacist technician.

The top three skills for a medical laboratory scientist include patients, ASCP and clinical laboratory. The most important skills for a certified pharmacist technician are patients, direct supervision, and math.

Medical laboratory scientist vs certified pharmacist technician overview

Medical Laboratory ScientistCertified Pharmacist Technician
Yearly salary$54,377$37,059
Hourly rate$26.14$17.82
Growth rate-5%
Number of jobs121,913113,033
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age4438
Years of experience2-

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 certified pharmacist technician do?

A certified pharmacist technician is responsible for assisting patients by providing medicines based on their needs or their physicians' prescriptions. Certified pharmacist technicians must be able to supply the correct medications, including the right dosage to patients. They must also have a broad understanding of the medical industry, providing medicinal information to patients and referring them to the right health professionals as needed. Certified pharmacist technicians also monitor medicine inventories, manage supplies, and create sales reports.

Medical laboratory scientist vs certified pharmacist technician salary

Medical laboratory scientists and certified pharmacist technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Medical Laboratory ScientistCertified Pharmacist Technician
Average salary$54,377$37,059
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $71,000Between $27,000 And $50,000
Highest paying CityReno, NVVancouver, WA
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyEli Lilly and CompanyDignity Health
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and certified pharmacist technician education

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

Medical Laboratory ScientistCertified Pharmacist Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common majorClinical/Medical Laboratory SciencePharmacy
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-

Medical laboratory scientist vs certified pharmacist technician demographics

Here are the differences between medical laboratory scientists' and certified pharmacist technicians' demographics:

Medical Laboratory ScientistCertified Pharmacist Technician
Average age4438
Gender ratioMale, 33.7% Female, 66.3%Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%5%

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and certified pharmacist technician 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.
  • Show more

Certified pharmacist technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage return authorizations of expire and damage drugs to send back to vendor or Walgreens distribution center.
  • Secure and manage PYXIS systems during facility emergencies.
  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Experience in patient intake, data entry, dosage calculations, Rx clarification, billing, adjudicate claims, and dispensing.
  • Fill prescriptions under guidance a register pharmacist using intercom.
  • Fill PYXIS machines on every floor of the hospital in a timely and accurate manner
  • Show more

Medical laboratory scientist vs certified pharmacist technician skills

Common medical laboratory scientist skills
  • Patients, 13%
  • ASCP, 11%
  • Clinical Laboratory, 10%
  • MLS, 8%
  • Proficiency Testing, 5%
  • Patient Care, 4%
Common certified pharmacist technician skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Direct Supervision, 10%
  • Math, 8%
  • Telephone Calls, 7%
  • Inventory Control, 4%
  • RX, 4%

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