Molecular laboratory technologist vs senior laboratory specialist

The differences between molecular laboratory technologists and senior laboratory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a molecular laboratory technologist, becoming a senior laboratory specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior laboratory specialist has an average salary of $55,556, 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 senior laboratory specialist are technical support, test results, and lab equipment.

Molecular laboratory technologist vs senior laboratory specialist overview

	Molecular Laboratory Technologist	Senior Laboratory Specialist
Yearly salary	$51,239	$55,556
Hourly rate	$24.63	$26.71
Growth rate	-	19%
Number of jobs	86,280	39,592
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	12

Molecular laboratory technologist vs senior laboratory specialist salary

Molecular laboratory technologists and senior laboratory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Molecular Laboratory Technologist	Senior Laboratory Specialist
Average salary	$51,239	$55,556
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $69,000	Between $41,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	-	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between molecular laboratory technologist and senior laboratory specialist education

There are a few differences between a molecular laboratory technologist and a senior laboratory specialist in terms of educational background:

	Molecular Laboratory Technologist	Senior Laboratory Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Molecular laboratory technologist vs senior laboratory specialist demographics

Here are the differences between molecular laboratory technologists' and senior laboratory specialists' demographics:

	Molecular Laboratory Technologist	Senior Laboratory Specialist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1%	Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 15.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between molecular laboratory technologist and senior laboratory specialist duties and responsibilities

Molecular laboratory technologist example responsibilities.

Operate and manage standard quality control on laboratory equipment as well as some specialize equipment for serology studies.
Perform routine clinical tests on several enzymatic tests for galactosemia disease using paper chromatography - radiation imaging detection, spectrophotometry.
Interview and hire new employees.verse in HIPAA regulations to protect patient confidentiality.

Senior laboratory specialist example responsibilities.

Manage supply inventory and maintain cleanliness.
Experience as an ISO train auditor.
Maintain, calibrate, and troubleshot GC equipment in the polymerization methods.
Assist in monitoring and controlling the requirements of ISO 17025 and ISO 9001:2000.
Develop and validate HPLC methods to quantify the aerosolized drugs and their degradation products.
Execute and analyze tests in various areas including hematology, chemistry, immunology, histology and bacteriology culture analysis.

Molecular laboratory technologist vs senior laboratory specialist skills

Common molecular laboratory technologist skills

Next-Generation Sequencing, 18%
Clinical Laboratory, 11%
Molecular Biology, 7%
Control Procedures, 7%
Extraction, 6%
Sops, 6%

Common senior laboratory specialist skills

Technical Support, 8%
Test Results, 8%
Lab Equipment, 7%
Cell Culture, 6%
Data Analysis, 6%
Molecular Biology, 5%

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Molecular Laboratory Technologist
Molecular Laboratory Technologist vs Senior Laboratory Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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