Microbiology technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant

The differences between microbiology technicians and chemistry laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a microbiology technician, becoming a chemistry laboratory assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a microbiology technician has an average salary of $40,084, which is higher than the $30,971 average annual salary of a chemistry laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a microbiology technician include lab equipment, test results and laboratory procedures. The most important skills for a chemistry laboratory assistant are lab equipment, lab safety, and chemistry lab.

Microbiology technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant overview

	Microbiology Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary	$40,084	$30,971
Hourly rate	$19.27	$14.89
Growth rate	9%	4%
Number of jobs	25,704	40,180
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	4	2

What does a microbiology technician do?

A Microbiology Technician helps microbiologists and other scientists conduct experiments and other tests. They usually work in labs and examine microscopic subjects, such as diseases, fungi, and algae.

What does a chemistry laboratory assistant do?

Chemical Laboratory Assistants are professionals who help researchers and scientists in performing lab experiments and tests. Their tasks involve the maintenance, cleanliness, or sterilization of laboratory equipment or instruments. They perform physical or chemical laboratory tests assisting scientists in the quantitative or qualitative analyses of liquids, gaseous materials, and solids. The necessary skills and knowledge for this job include chemistry, lab reporting, chemical solutions, and safety procedures.

Microbiology technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant salary

Microbiology technicians and chemistry laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Microbiology Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Average salary	$40,084	$30,971
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $53,000	Between $16,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	Central Islip, NY	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Thomas Jefferson University	Pace University
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between microbiology technician and chemistry laboratory assistant education

There are a few differences between a microbiology technician and a chemistry laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:

	Microbiology Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	Cornell University	Stanford University

Microbiology technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant demographics

Here are the differences between microbiology technicians' and chemistry laboratory assistants' demographics:

	Microbiology Technician	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 40.8% Female, 59.2%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 14.1% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between microbiology technician and chemistry laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Microbiology technician example responsibilities.

Job duties begin in a general microbiology/ infectious disease laboratory focuse on cultivating and managing infectious strains of microbes.
Apply GMP and GLP documentation for all sample testing.
Prepare culture media, perform culture media QC test, and maintain appropriate inventory, perform growth promotion testing and sterility.
Quantify total aerobic plate count and total yeast and mold count.
Keep records of all tests in database and keep entries of QA checks.
Use of microscopes, autoclaves, carboys, manual and electric pipettes, etc.

Chemistry laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
Prepare buffer solutions, separate DNA, dissect baby mice, and perform general lab procedures.
Facilitate placement and organization of equipment for new laboratory including HPLC, GC-MS, UV-VIS, and DSC.
Maintain GC/FID, GC/MS and LC/MS systems.
Purify total RNA out of scallop muscle tissue.
Maintain proper records and documentation of DNA sequencing products.

Microbiology technician vs chemistry laboratory assistant skills

Common microbiology technician skills

Lab Equipment, 10%
Test Results, 6%
Laboratory Procedures, 5%
Environmental Monitoring, 5%
Media Preparation, 5%
FDA, 4%

Common chemistry laboratory assistant skills

Lab Equipment, 39%
Lab Safety, 13%
Chemistry Lab, 6%
Lab Experiments, 4%
Lab Reports, 3%
Analytical Chemistry, 2%

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Microbiology Technician vs Chemistry Laboratory Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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