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Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical technician

The differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technicians and clinical 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 technician. Additionally, a pharmaceutical laboratory technician has an average salary of $41,945, which is higher than the $35,760 average annual salary of a clinical technician.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical laboratory technician include R, environmental monitoring and lab equipment. The most important skills for a clinical technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical technician overview

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianClinical Technician
Yearly salary$41,945$35,760
Hourly rate$20.17$17.19
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs52,205161,812
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age4444
Years of experience1212

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical technician salary

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

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianClinical Technician
Average salary$41,945$35,760
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $58,000Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and clinical technician education

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

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianClinical Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorBiologyNursing
Most common collegeNew York UniversityUniversity of Connecticut

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical technician demographics

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

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianClinical Technician
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 43.1% Female, 56.9%Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratioBlack 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, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and clinical 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 technician example responsibilities.

  • Prepare QC and QA samples for validity testing.
  • Resolve issues from level 1 EMR support as well as EMR issues transfer from other departments.
  • Recognize life threatening situations and activate the emergency response system while assisting with CPR and code cart.
  • Report and document description of patient care information in EMR in accordance with hospital policy and procedure.
  • Participate in reviews and QC of external central laboratory contracts, sample kits and manuals and ensure accuracy.
  • Assist in advance and basic life support techniques, perform EKG's, blood withdrawal, and computer order entry.
  • Show more

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs clinical technician skills

Common pharmaceutical laboratory technician skills
  • R, 16%
  • Environmental Monitoring, 12%
  • Lab Equipment, 10%
  • Sops, 9%
  • Laboratory Procedures, 8%
  • GMP, 7%
Common clinical technician skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Vital Signs, 8%
  • Phlebotomy, 7%
  • Direct Patient Care, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • EKG, 4%

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