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The differences between microbiology laboratory assistants and lead laboratory 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 microbiology laboratory assistant and a lead laboratory technician. Additionally, a lead laboratory technician has an average salary of $54,230, which is higher than the $32,736 average annual salary of a microbiology laboratory assistant.
The top three skills for a microbiology laboratory assistant include patients, lab equipment and data entry. The most important skills for a lead laboratory technician are patients, lab equipment, and customer service.
| Microbiology Laboratory Assistant | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,736 | $54,230 |
| Hourly rate | $15.74 | $26.07 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 49,910 | 77,096 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Microbiology Laboratory Assistants are responsible for assisting laboratory technicians with sample preparation and workplace maintenance in the area of microbiology. Their duties include preparing samples for testing, maintaining laboratory inventory, reporting inventory shortages, and producing inventory reports. Besides that, they are involved in organizing laboratory areas, sterilizing laboratory equipment, and maintain testings log. Microbiology Laboratory Assistants also assist in equipment set up, results analysis, and sample classification. They continuously ensure the operational environment complies with health and safety standards.
A Lead Laboratory Technician coordinates the operations of a laboratory. They supervise the preparation of specimens for tests, collection of blood, examination of blood samples, and other duties performed by the technician team.
Microbiology laboratory assistants and lead laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Microbiology Laboratory Assistant | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,736 | $54,230 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $48,000 | Between $33,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a microbiology laboratory assistant and a lead laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Microbiology Laboratory Assistant | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | New York University |
Here are the differences between microbiology laboratory assistants' and lead laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Microbiology Laboratory Assistant | Lead Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.2% Female, 66.8% | Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.2% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |