Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory coordinator

The differences between medical laboratory scientists and laboratory coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical laboratory scientist and a laboratory coordinator. Additionally, a medical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $54,377, which is higher than the $52,690 average annual salary of a laboratory coordinator.

The top three skills for a medical laboratory scientist include patients, ASCP and clinical laboratory. The most important skills for a laboratory coordinator are lab equipment, patients, and patient care.

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory coordinator overview

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Coordinator
Yearly salary	$54,377	$52,690
Hourly rate	$26.14	$25.33
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	121,913	64,914
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

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 laboratory coordinator do?

A laboratory coordinator is responsible for supporting laboratory examinations and experiments, collecting laboratory samples, and ensuring the efficiency and performance of laboratory tools and equipment. Laboratory coordinators maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the laboratory facility at all times to avoid contaminations and hazards that may affect laboratory results and accuracy of examinations. They also perform scientific processes under the supervision of a scientist or laboratory technicians and keep an organized report of findings in the database.

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory coordinator salary

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Coordinator
Average salary	$54,377	$52,690
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $71,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Reno, NV	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Hawaii
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	AbbVie
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and laboratory coordinator education

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	Biology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Pennsylvania

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory coordinator demographics

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Coordinator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%	Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and laboratory coordinator 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.

Laboratory coordinator example responsibilities.

Lead a team to decide on an optimal LIS.
Manage curriculum development, authore and publish lab manuals in physiology and ecology.
Prepare and audit patient charts according to HIPAA compliance.
Reject patient specimen samples that do not meet CLIA requirements.
Maintain records and training for all CLIA waive testing for all practice employees.
Follow EPA and OSHA mandates to ensure the proper and safe disposal of hazardous samples and waste.

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory coordinator skills

Common medical laboratory scientist skills

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

Common laboratory coordinator skills

Lab Equipment, 15%
Patients, 13%
Patient Care, 8%
Chemistry, 6%
Laboratory Safety, 3%
CLIA, 3%

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Medical Laboratory Scientist
Medical Laboratory Scientist vs Laboratory Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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