Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory supervisor

The differences between medical laboratory scientists and laboratory supervisors 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 supervisor takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a laboratory supervisor has an average salary of $67,361, 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 laboratory supervisor are clinical laboratory, patients, and chemistry.

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory supervisor overview

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Supervisor
Yearly salary	$54,377	$67,361
Hourly rate	$26.14	$32.39
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	121,913	49,957
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	12

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 supervisor do?

The primary job of laboratory supervisors is to oversee the daily operations of laboratories. They are responsible for facilitating the collection, analysis, and interpretation of laboratory results. Other responsibilities include supervising personnel, managing the operating budget of the laboratory, and hiring employees. Laboratory supervisors are responsible for overseeing quality assurance and enforcing practices to ensure quality control within the laboratory. Aside from these tasks, they also manage the acquisition of laboratory equipment and supplies and resolve any technical or administrative issues within the laboratory.

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory supervisor salary

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Supervisor
Average salary	$54,377	$67,361
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $71,000	Between $47,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Reno, NV	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	Chevron
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and laboratory supervisor education

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	Biology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Northwestern University

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory supervisor demographics

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Laboratory Supervisor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%
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, 17.7% Asian, 12.0% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and laboratory supervisor 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 supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage personnel within the team, and provide guidance relating to laboratory EMR to performance improvement projects
Handle administrative and IRB tasks, manage fiscal matters, maintain record system of participant data.
Manage all static data, generate reports, run queries and support laboratories with technical knowledge and advice.
Manage pneumatic resistance rehabilitation lab.
Manage and maintain various automate laboratory equipment though GMP safe practices.
Assist with implementation of new procedures as laboratory works to achieving ISO certification.

Medical laboratory scientist vs laboratory supervisor skills

Common medical laboratory scientist skills

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

Common laboratory supervisor skills

Clinical Laboratory, 11%
Patients, 10%
Chemistry, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Lab Equipment, 5%
Test Results, 5%

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Medical Laboratory Scientist vs Laboratory Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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