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Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant

The differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technicians and 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 a pharmaceutical laboratory technician and a laboratory assistant. Additionally, a pharmaceutical laboratory technician has an average salary of $41,945, which is higher than the $34,168 average annual salary of a laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a pharmaceutical laboratory technician include R, environmental monitoring and lab equipment. The most important skills for a laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and customer service.

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant overview

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianLaboratory Assistant
Yearly salary$41,945$34,168
Hourly rate$20.17$16.43
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs52,20550,853
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4444
Years of experience1212

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant salary

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

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianLaboratory Assistant
Average salary$41,945$34,168
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $58,000Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City-Boston, MA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-UST Global
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and laboratory assistant education

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

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianLaboratory Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeNew York UniversityNew York University

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant demographics

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

Pharmaceutical Laboratory TechnicianLaboratory Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 43.1% Female, 56.9%Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 13.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and laboratory assistant 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.

Laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

  • Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
  • Maintain and QC check laboratory equipment.
  • Preform laboratory duties using microscopes, centrifuges and a host of other laboratory equipment.
  • Provide excellent customer service to patients while accurately updating patient demographics, insurance and billing information in LabCorp LCM program.
  • Provide continuing education in the form of periodic in-services relating the phlebotomy procedures, tests and proper specimen collection requirements.
  • Process eyewear to meet national ANSII and OSHA standards.
  • Show more

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory assistant skills

Common pharmaceutical laboratory technician skills
  • R, 16%
  • Environmental Monitoring, 12%
  • Lab Equipment, 10%
  • Sops, 9%
  • Laboratory Procedures, 8%
  • GMP, 7%
Common laboratory assistant skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Phlebotomy, 12%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Lab Procedures, 5%
  • Specimen Collection, 5%
  • Patient Care, 5%

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