Medical laboratory scientist vs nurse

The differences between medical laboratory scientists and nurses 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 nurse. Additionally, a nurse has an average salary of $57,564, 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 nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Medical laboratory scientist vs nurse overview

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Nurse
Yearly salary	$54,377	$57,564
Hourly rate	$26.14	$27.68
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	121,913	696,124
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
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 nurse do?

Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.

Medical laboratory scientist vs nurse salary

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Nurse
Average salary	$54,377	$57,564
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $71,000	Between $38,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Reno, NV	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	California
Best paying company	Eli Lilly and Company	Conviva
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and nurse education

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	Nursing
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Medical laboratory scientist vs nurse demographics

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

	Medical Laboratory Scientist	Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%	Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	9%

Differences between medical laboratory scientist and nurse 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.

Nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients
Monitor patients for cardiac rhythm changes and implement medication according to ACLS guidelines.
Educate patients and families on diseases processes, medications, wind care, and iv infusion.
Provide care for patients on medical/surgical, transplant, cardiac, orthopedic, postpartum, neonatal ICU, and psychiatric units
Demonstrate competence in CPR and other medical emergency situations.

Medical laboratory scientist vs nurse skills

Common medical laboratory scientist skills

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

Common nurse skills

Patients, 21%
Home Health, 7%
CPR, 6%
BLS, 6%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 4%

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Medical Laboratory Scientist
Medical Laboratory Scientist vs Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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