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Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory assistant

The differences between pharmacist technicians and clinical laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacist technician has an average salary of $36,090, which is higher than the $32,679 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a pharmacist technician include patients, math and direct supervision. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and clinical lab.

Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory assistant overview

Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary$36,090$32,679
Hourly rate$17.35$15.71
Growth rate5%10%
Number of jobs73,800108,124
Job satisfaction1-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age3844
Years of experience-12

What does a pharmacist technician do?

Pharmacist technicians assist pharmacists in their daily activities. They receive prescription medicine order requests of customers, validate the prescription, prepare the medicines, properly label medicine bottles, and hand them off to customers. They also answer customer inquiries and attend to customer concerns. Pharmacist technicians also manage the pharmacy's inventory and ensure that all records are up to date. They are also authorized to create purchase requisition requests for medicines that are running low and need to be refilled, but these requests should still be authorized by a doctor.

What does a clinical laboratory assistant do?

A clinical laboratory assistant specializes in performing support tasks in a laboratory or similar setting using their in-depth knowledge. They are primarily responsible for assisting researchers, preparing samples and apparatus, conducting experiments and analysis, maintaining extensive documentation of all processes and results, and reporting to management. Moreover, a clinical laboratory assistant is also responsible for gathering necessary information before beginning studies and maintaining the laboratory's cleanliness and sanitation. It is vital to implement all the safety rules and regulations to ensure a safe and productive work environment.

Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory assistant salary

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

Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average salary$36,090$32,679
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $48,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAAnchorage, AK
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyValley Presbyterian HospitalRoswell Park
Best paying industryHealth CareTechnology

Differences between pharmacist technician and clinical laboratory assistant education

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

Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorPharmacyBiology
Most common college-New York University

Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory assistant demographics

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

Pharmacist TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average age3844
Gender ratioMale, 24.9% Female, 75.1%Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 12.1% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage5%8%

Differences between pharmacist technician and clinical laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Pharmacist technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage the OPTIFILL (automation) operations and maintenance of equipment, including the PYXIS medication dispensing machine.
  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Manage inventory; process physician orders; prepare chemotherapy and intravenous medications; support departments in distribution and preparation of medications.
  • Consult with patients as an (CPhT) on their medical usages via written prescription by authorize medical personnel.
  • Compound TPN's (total peripheral nutrition), chemotherapy, iv admixture, antibiotics, and other pharmacy medications.
  • Record customer information into Rx computer system.
  • Show more

Clinical laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

  • Achieve PHLEBOTOMY duties utilizing proper infection control techniques and perform a variety of laboratory tests.
  • Process specimen, recollect and deliver to chemistry, microbiology, molecular or hematology departments for testing.
  • Receive specimens for microbiology, histology, cytology, anatomic pathology and hematology tests/procedures, checks for proper identification and requisition.
  • Operate EKG and other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.
  • Transfer of samples from racks to centrifuges and decant station.
  • Administer EKG's, clean wounds, draw labs, and apply dressings.
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Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory assistant skills

Common pharmacist technician skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Math, 12%
  • Direct Supervision, 5%
  • HIPAA, 4%
  • Collective Bargaining, 4%
  • Telephone Calls, 4%
Common clinical laboratory assistant skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Phlebotomy, 14%
  • Clinical Lab, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Specimen Collection, 4%
  • Patient Care, 4%

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