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Optometrist assistant vs medical laboratory assistant

The differences between optometrist assistants and medical laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an optometrist assistant and a medical laboratory assistant. Additionally, an optometrist assistant has an average salary of $122,813, which is higher than the $34,673 average annual salary of a medical laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for an optometrist assistant include patients, appointment scheduling and exam rooms. The most important skills for a medical laboratory assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Optometrist assistant vs medical laboratory assistant overview

Optometrist AssistantMedical Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary$122,813$34,673
Hourly rate$59.04$16.67
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs48,461124,322
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 31%Associate Degree, 27%
Average age3737
Years of experience1212

Optometrist assistant vs medical laboratory assistant salary

Optometrist assistants and medical laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Optometrist AssistantMedical Laboratory Assistant
Average salary$122,813$34,673
Salary rangeBetween $85,000 And $177,000Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City-Eugene, OR
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between optometrist assistant and medical laboratory assistant education

There are a few differences between an optometrist assistant and a medical laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:

Optometrist AssistantMedical Laboratory Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 31%Associate Degree, 27%
Most common majorBusinessMedical Assisting Services
Most common college--

Optometrist assistant vs medical laboratory assistant demographics

Here are the differences between optometrist assistants' and medical laboratory assistants' demographics:

Optometrist AssistantMedical Laboratory Assistant
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 11.8% Female, 88.2%Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 24.7% Asian, 9.9% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 51.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between optometrist assistant and medical laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Optometrist assistant example responsibilities.

  • Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
  • Pretest patients on NCT, OCT, refractomotor, visual field machine, and retinal camera.
  • Check in and work up patients for eye exam, assist optometrist with retinal photos, glaucoma testing and basic refraction.
  • Perform require pretests for the Dr's.
  • Perform OCT scan of optic nerve, macula, and fundus photo.
  • Clean and maintain equipment and instruments in the optometric area, pre-test room, and restock inventories.
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Medical laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

  • Direct a team of professionals to achieve superior and consistent ventilator weaning outcomes for long term ventilator dependent patients.
  • Ensure and enforce medical office compliance with HIPAA, OSHA, and CLIA regulations for maximum quality and control
  • Adhere to JCAHO confidentiality as well as maintained CLIA and OSHA standards.
  • Monitor lab performance to be in compliance with CLIA requirements.
  • Ensure CLIA standards are compliant and assist annual state inspectors during their surveys.
  • Conduct intake assessments in emergency room which include administering of vitals, EKG s, and patient prepping.
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Optometrist assistant vs medical laboratory assistant skills

Common optometrist assistant skills
  • Patients, 37%
  • Appointment Scheduling, 7%
  • Exam Rooms, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Eye Exams, 3%
  • Front Desk, 3%
Common medical laboratory assistant skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • Lab Equipment, 5%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Venipuncture, 4%

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