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The differences between molecular laboratory technologists and medical laboratory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a molecular laboratory technologist and a medical laboratory specialist. Additionally, a medical laboratory specialist has an average salary of $51,304, which is higher than the $51,239 average annual salary of a molecular laboratory technologist.
The top three skills for a molecular laboratory technologist include next-generation sequencing, clinical laboratory and molecular biology. The most important skills for a medical laboratory specialist are patients, urinalysis, and body fluids.
| Molecular Laboratory Technologist | Medical Laboratory Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,239 | $51,304 |
| Hourly rate | $24.63 | $24.67 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 86,280 | 89,770 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A molecular laboratory technologist performs a number of duties to analyze samples in a laboratory setting. Their duties in this position are to collect samples for research, test specimens with a variety of equipment, and study how clinical drugs affect the samples. They are also responsible for maintaining data analysis records, troubleshooting issues, and preparing lab equipment. This position requires advanced education training in molecular biology.
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.
Molecular laboratory technologists and medical laboratory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Molecular Laboratory Technologist | Medical Laboratory Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,239 | $51,304 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $69,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a molecular laboratory technologist and a medical laboratory specialist in terms of educational background:
| Molecular Laboratory Technologist | Medical Laboratory Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Biology | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY Stony Brook |
Here are the differences between molecular laboratory technologists' and medical laboratory specialists' demographics:
| Molecular Laboratory Technologist | Medical Laboratory Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 14.1% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |