Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician

The differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technicians and clinical 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 pharmaceutical laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician. Additionally, a clinical laboratory technician has an average salary of $50,756, which is higher than the $41,945 average annual salary of a pharmaceutical laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical laboratory technician include R, environmental monitoring and lab equipment. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory technician are patients, test results, and patient care.

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician overview

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$41,945	$50,756
Hourly rate	$20.17	$24.40
Growth rate	9%	-
Number of jobs	52,205	119,050
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician salary

Pharmaceutical laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$41,945	$50,756
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $58,000	Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Stockton, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Claxton Hepburn
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a pharmaceutical laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technicians' and clinical laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 12.2% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 12.9% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Perform QC testing on tablet coating products and assist in development of new products to meet customer's needs.
Develop QC test methods and specifications for new products and coordinate the implementation of new test methods for existing products.
Maintain and operate laboratory equipment and commendably troubleshoot and resolve an assortment of laboratory testing analyzers and perform diverse chemical tests.
Arrange stat shipping and receiving of blood products to and from outside medical facilities.
Perform venipuncture, bleeding times, vaccinations and urinalysis procedures.

Clinical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Provide oversight of training and competency testing of technicians to ensure compliance with CLIA, HIPPA and OSHA guidelines.
Collect, process, and analyze clinical specimens for several departments including microbiology, chemistry, hematology, and urinalysis
Experience working in a hospital laboratory in automate chemistry, hematology, blood bank, urinalysis, and immunology departments.
Dispose of biohazard wastes according to OSHA standards ..
Screen blood products for pathogens and co-treatment success.

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician skills

Common pharmaceutical laboratory technician skills

R, 16%
Environmental Monitoring, 12%
Lab Equipment, 10%
Sops, 9%
Laboratory Procedures, 8%
GMP, 7%

Common clinical laboratory technician skills

Patients, 16%
Test Results, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Hematology, 5%
Body Fluids, 4%
Proficiency Testing, 4%

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Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician
Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician vs Clinical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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