Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory technician

The differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technicians and 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 laboratory technician. Additionally, a pharmaceutical laboratory technician has an average salary of $41,945, which is higher than the $40,038 average annual salary of a laboratory technician.

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

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory technician overview

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$41,945	$40,038
Hourly rate	$20.17	$19.25
Growth rate	9%	4%
Number of jobs	52,205	84,357
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory technician salary

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

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$41,945	$40,038
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $58,000	Between $27,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Tenaska
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and laboratory technician education

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

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	New York University

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory technician demographics

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

	Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician	Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 53.3% Female, 46.7%
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, 17.5% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between pharmaceutical laboratory technician and 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.

Laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Lead aerobic, anaerobic and UV light testing, chemical residue testing and centrifuge to separate chemicals from water.
Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Analyze and paid attention to detail as well as demonstrated excellent organization skills, manual dexterity and good eyesight.
Monitor patients' blood pressure and heart rate with EKG equipment and notify physician is something appears to be wrong.
Monitor several color formulations being manufacture in the production department to ensure manufacturing procedures are follow per ISO and GMP.
Perform age appropriate phlebotomy while working with critically or terminally ill patients, with careful respect for individual and/or cultural concerns.

Pharmaceutical laboratory technician vs laboratory technician skills

Common pharmaceutical laboratory technician skills

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

Common laboratory technician skills

Patients, 17%
Lab Equipment, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Basic Math, 4%
Test Results, 4%
Math, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician
Pharmaceutical Laboratory Technician vs Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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