Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory technician

The differences between pharmacist technicians and clinical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical laboratory technician has an average salary of $50,756, which is higher than the $36,090 average annual salary of a pharmacist technician.

The top three skills for a pharmacist technician include patients, math and direct supervision. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory technician are patients, test results, and patient care.

Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory technician overview

	Pharmacist Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$36,090	$50,756
Hourly rate	$17.35	$24.40
Growth rate	5%	-
Number of jobs	73,800	119,050
Job satisfaction	1	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	38	44
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 technician do?

A clinical laboratory technician typically works under the direction of a physician or medical technologist to perform tests that will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions and illnesses. You will perform various duties, including preparing samples for analysis, monitoring tests and procedures, and matching blood for transfusion. Additionally, you are expected to participate in staff training and educational opportunities and contribute to a secure and safe environment for patients, physicians, co-workers, and visitors. This role will also require ensuring that laboratory information remains confidential.

Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory technician salary

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

	Pharmacist Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$36,090	$50,756
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $48,000	Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Stockton, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Valley Presbyterian Hospital	Claxton Hepburn
Best paying industry	Health Care	Media

Differences between pharmacist technician and clinical laboratory technician education

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

	Pharmacist Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Pharmacy	Biology
Most common college	-	New York University

Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory technician demographics

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

	Pharmacist Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%
Race ratio	Black 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, 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	5%	8%

Differences between pharmacist technician and clinical laboratory technician 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.

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.

Pharmacist technician vs clinical laboratory technician skills

Common pharmacist technician skills

Patients, 32%
Math, 12%
Direct Supervision, 5%
HIPAA, 4%
Collective Bargaining, 4%
Telephone Calls, 4%

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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Pharmacist Technician vs Clinical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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