Medical laboratory technician vs medical laboratory scientist

The differences between medical laboratory technicians and medical laboratory scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical laboratory technician, becoming a medical laboratory scientist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical laboratory scientist has an average salary of $54,377, which is higher than the $51,780 average annual salary of a medical laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a medical laboratory technician include medical laboratory, patients and ASCP. The most important skills for a medical laboratory scientist are patients, ASCP, and clinical laboratory.

Medical laboratory technician vs medical laboratory scientist overview

	Medical Laboratory Technician	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Yearly salary	$51,780	$54,377
Hourly rate	$24.89	$26.14
Growth rate	16%	-
Number of jobs	88,721	121,913
Job satisfaction	3.33	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	2

What does a medical laboratory technician do?

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.

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.

Medical laboratory technician vs medical laboratory scientist salary

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

	Medical Laboratory Technician	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Average salary	$51,780	$54,377
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $71,000	Between $41,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	Reno, NV
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	Eli Lilly and Company
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical laboratory technician and medical laboratory scientist education

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

	Medical Laboratory Technician	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science
Most common college	University of Maryland - College Park	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Medical laboratory technician vs medical laboratory scientist demographics

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

	Medical Laboratory Technician	Medical Laboratory Scientist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.7% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical laboratory technician and medical laboratory scientist duties and responsibilities

Medical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing office functions through strong knowledge of PACS, Fuji CR, and EMR systems.
Accomplish constant multitasking between phlebotomy, reception and lab on a daily basis while providing outstanding customer communication skills.
Conduct clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and specimen analysis in hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, serology and immunology.
Experience in the areas of chemistry, hematology, serology, urinalysis, coagulation and microbiology specimen preparation.
Serve as rotational general laboratory technician in urinalysis, serology, chemistry, hematology, coagulation, microbiology, and shipping.
Pass and receive ASCP MLT certification upon graduation.

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 laboratory technician vs medical laboratory scientist skills

Common medical laboratory technician skills

Medical Laboratory, 10%
Patients, 10%
ASCP, 9%
Clinical Laboratory, 8%
MLT, 6%
Patient Care, 4%

Common medical laboratory scientist skills

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

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Medical Laboratory Technician vs Medical Laboratory Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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