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The differences between quality management specialists and laboratory managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a quality management specialist and a laboratory manager. Additionally, a laboratory manager has an average salary of $74,314, which is higher than the $70,819 average annual salary of a quality management specialist.
The top three skills for a quality management specialist include healthcare, quality improvement and patients. The most important skills for a laboratory manager are lab equipment, patients, and customer service.
| Quality Management Specialist | Laboratory Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $70,819 | $74,314 |
| Hourly rate | $34.05 | $35.73 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 128,494 | 43,321 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
In the manufacturing industry, a quality management specialist is in charge of implementing and overseeing quality management procedures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically include gathering and analyzing data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current operations, developing new strategies to optimize procedures, creating new quality assurance methods, maintaining records of transactions, and coordinating the workforce. Furthermore, as a quality management specialist, it is essential to implement solutions while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
Laboratory managers provide accurate laboratory diagnosis through evaluating specimen procedures and coordinating with pathologists to validate laboratory findings. They are responsible for maintaining laboratory tools and equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of instruments before and after use, organizing equipment based on its function, and immediately repairing or replacing defective items. A laboratory manager also secures the confidentiality of laboratory systems, keeping records of results, and releasing information to the appropriate personnel. Laboratory managers must have a broad knowledge of the scientific industry, as well as excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills.
Quality management specialists and laboratory managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Management Specialist | Laboratory Manager | |
| Average salary | $70,819 | $74,314 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $103,000 | Between $49,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | SAP | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality management specialist and a laboratory manager in terms of educational background:
| Quality Management Specialist | Laboratory Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality management specialists' and laboratory managers' demographics:
| Quality Management Specialist | Laboratory Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1% | Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 9.2% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |