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The differences between medical laboratory scientists and laboratory assistants 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 laboratory assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $54,377, which is higher than the $34,168 average annual salary of a laboratory assistant.
The top three skills for a medical laboratory scientist include patients, ASCP and clinical laboratory. The most important skills for a laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and customer service.
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $54,377 | $34,168 |
| Hourly rate | $26.14 | $16.43 |
| Growth rate | - | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 121,913 | 50,853 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
Laboratory assistants work for researchers, scientists, or professors in the laboratory setting. They are expected to have a solid background in the field of study of the laboratory they are assigned to. They do a variety of tasks in the laboratory, such as setting up equipment, observing experiments, analyzing results, creating reports, and recommending improvements to the testing. They may also be assigned to clean and sanitize laboratory equipment as needed. Laboratory assistants should have good research skills, analytical skills, and organizational skills.
Medical laboratory scientists and laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average salary | $54,377 | $34,168 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $71,000 | Between $26,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reno, NV | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Eli Lilly and Company | UST Global |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a medical laboratory scientist and a laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | Biology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | New York University |
Here are the differences between medical laboratory scientists' and laboratory assistants' demographics:
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% | Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4% |
| 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, 9.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 13.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |