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The differences between medical laboratory specialists 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 specialist and a laboratory coordinator. Additionally, a laboratory coordinator has an average salary of $52,690, which is higher than the $51,304 average annual salary of a medical laboratory specialist.
The top three skills for a medical laboratory specialist include patients, urinalysis and body fluids. The most important skills for a laboratory coordinator are lab equipment, patients, and patient care.
| Medical Laboratory Specialist | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $51,304 | $52,690 |
| Hourly rate | $24.67 | $25.33 |
| Growth rate | - | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 89,770 | 64,914 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Medical Laboratory Specialist performs tests on the tissue, blood, and body fluids of patients. They determine patients' blood types for transfusions, as well as conduct medical research and analysis.
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 specialists and laboratory coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Laboratory Specialist | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $51,304 | $52,690 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $71,000 | Between $38,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | - | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a medical laboratory specialist and a laboratory coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Medical Laboratory Specialist | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | Biology |
| Most common college | SUNY Stony Brook | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between medical laboratory specialists' and laboratory coordinators' demographics:
| Medical Laboratory Specialist | Laboratory Coordinator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% | Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 11.0% White, 52.8% 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% |