Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between medical laboratory technicians and clinical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a medical laboratory technician and a clinical technician. Additionally, a medical laboratory technician has an average salary of $51,780, which is higher than the $35,760 average annual salary of a clinical technician.
The top three skills for a medical laboratory technician include medical laboratory, patients and ASCP. The most important skills for a clinical technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.
| Medical Laboratory Technician | Clinical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,780 | $35,760 |
| Hourly rate | $24.89 | $17.19 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 88,721 | 161,812 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A medical laboratory technician is responsible for assisting medical health professionals in conducting laboratory tests to diagnose patients' conditions and provide treatments. Medical laboratory technicians ensure the sanitation of all the tools and equipment before conducting tests. They collect adequate blood samples and specimens, analyze fluid elements, utilize laboratory equipment safely, create reports of findings, and alert medical personnel and medical technologists of emergency conditions. A medical laboratory technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry disciplines and processes to perform sensitive tasks and release accurate medical results.
A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations. They also maintain medical charts, update patients' information on the database, and administer patients' medication. A clinical technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as strictly following internal guidelines and safety procedures during operations.
Medical laboratory technicians and clinical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Laboratory Technician | Clinical Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,780 | $35,760 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $71,000 | Between $26,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Favorite Healthcare Staffing | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a medical laboratory technician and a clinical technician in terms of educational background:
| Medical Laboratory Technician | Clinical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Maryland - College Park | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between medical laboratory technicians' and clinical technicians' demographics:
| Medical Laboratory Technician | Clinical Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |