Public health microbiologist vs chemistry laboratory assistant

The differences between public health microbiologists and chemistry laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a public health microbiologist and a chemistry laboratory assistant. Additionally, a public health microbiologist has an average salary of $64,113, which is higher than the $30,971 average annual salary of a chemistry laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a public health microbiologist include extraction, quality control procedures and body fluids. The most important skills for a chemistry laboratory assistant are lab equipment, lab safety, and chemistry lab.

Public health microbiologist vs chemistry laboratory assistant overview

	Public Health Microbiologist	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary	$64,113	$30,971
Hourly rate	$30.82	$14.89
Growth rate	9%	4%
Number of jobs	65,489	40,180
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 90%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	40	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a public health microbiologist do?

Public health administrators are like health administrators, except that their focus is on population health. When working at an office, outreach is a critical part of their work. They will need to interface with the community they serve. They travel outside of the office for fundraising, public speaking, and public engagement on a regular basis. Their responsibilities include developing community programs that improve public health, assessing community health issues, and creating budgets related to public health operations.

What does a chemistry laboratory assistant do?

Chemical Laboratory Assistants are professionals who help researchers and scientists in performing lab experiments and tests. Their tasks involve the maintenance, cleanliness, or sterilization of laboratory equipment or instruments. They perform physical or chemical laboratory tests assisting scientists in the quantitative or qualitative analyses of liquids, gaseous materials, and solids. The necessary skills and knowledge for this job include chemistry, lab reporting, chemical solutions, and safety procedures.

Public health microbiologist vs chemistry laboratory assistant salary

Public health microbiologists and chemistry laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Health Microbiologist	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Average salary	$64,113	$30,971
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $90,000	Between $16,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Pace University
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between public health microbiologist and chemistry laboratory assistant education

There are a few differences between a public health microbiologist and a chemistry laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:

	Public Health Microbiologist	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 90%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Microbiology	Chemistry
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Public health microbiologist vs chemistry laboratory assistant demographics

Here are the differences between public health microbiologists' and chemistry laboratory assistants' demographics:

	Public Health Microbiologist	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Average age	40	44
Gender ratio	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 11.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between public health microbiologist and chemistry laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Public health microbiologist example responsibilities.

Job duties begin in a general microbiology/ infectious disease laboratory focuse on cultivating and managing infectious strains of microbes.
Extract DNA from patient samples using complex laboratory equipment.
Perform high-complexity public health testing including ELISA, PCR, DFA/IFA, viral and bacterial cultures, serologies and drug susceptibilities.
Secure database entry within FDA compliance regulations and laboratory notebook entries.
Conduct biochemical assays including biochemical identification of microorganisms.
Conduct biochemical assays including biochemical identification of microorganisms.

Chemistry laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
Prepare buffer solutions, separate DNA, dissect baby mice, and perform general lab procedures.
Facilitate placement and organization of equipment for new laboratory including HPLC, GC-MS, UV-VIS, and DSC.
Maintain GC/FID, GC/MS and LC/MS systems.
Purify total RNA out of scallop muscle tissue.
Maintain proper records and documentation of DNA sequencing products.

Public health microbiologist vs chemistry laboratory assistant skills

Common public health microbiologist skills

Extraction, 17%
Quality Control Procedures, 16%
Body Fluids, 10%
Pathogens, 9%
Proficiency Testing, 6%
DNA, 6%

Common chemistry laboratory assistant skills

Lab Equipment, 39%
Lab Safety, 13%
Chemistry Lab, 6%
Lab Experiments, 4%
Lab Reports, 3%
Analytical Chemistry, 2%

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Public Health Microbiologist vs Chemistry Laboratory Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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