Medical laboratory scientist vs medical technologist lead

The differences between medical laboratory scientists and medical technologist leads 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 medical technologist lead. Additionally, a medical technologist lead has an average salary of $68,094, 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 medical technologist lead are patients, clinical laboratory, and proficiency testing.

Medical laboratory scientist vs medical technologist lead overview

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Technologist Lead
Yearly salary	$54,377	$68,094
Hourly rate	$26.14	$32.74
Growth rate	-	16%
Number of jobs	121,913	125,848
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
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 medical technologist lead do?

A Medical Technologist Lead oversees the daily operational activities and functions of a clinical laboratory. They ensure quality patient care in accordance with established professional, regulatory, and governmental standards.

Medical laboratory scientist vs medical technologist lead salary

Medical laboratory scientists and medical technologist leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Technologist Lead
Average salary	$54,377	$68,094
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $71,000	Between $43,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	Reno, NV	Southampton, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	Mayo Clinic
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and medical technologist lead education

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Technologist Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	Medical Technician
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Medical laboratory scientist vs medical technologist lead demographics

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Medical Technologist Lead
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%	Male, 33.2% Female, 66.8%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and medical technologist lead 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.

Medical technologist lead example responsibilities.

Manage stat and routine testing, ensuring sample integrity and interpretation data; notify physician of critical results.
Manage and facilitate manuscript preparation of oncology clinical trials results arising from currently market and pipeline drugs.
Accomplish patient assessment, vital sign and cardiac monitoring, phlebotomy, post-surgical evaluation, ventilator maintenance and physical therapy.
Evaluate and analyze patient samples in areas of clinical chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, immunology and toxicology.
Deliver emergency medical care to patients as indicated by medical control or patient care protocols.
Perform (QC) quality control, troubleshot and perform preventative maintenance on chemistry and hematology analyzers.

Medical laboratory scientist vs medical technologist lead skills

Common medical laboratory scientist skills

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

Common medical technologist lead skills

Patients, 22%
Clinical Laboratory, 9%
Proficiency Testing, 6%
Hematology, 5%
Test Results, 4%
Microbiology, 4%

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Medical Laboratory Scientist
Medical Laboratory Scientist vs Medical Technologist Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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