Sample prep technician vs laboratory research assistant

The differences between sample prep technicians and laboratory research 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 sample prep technician and a laboratory research assistant. Additionally, a sample prep technician has an average salary of $42,504, which is higher than the $36,537 average annual salary of a laboratory research assistant.

The top three skills for a sample prep technician include QC, lab equipment and AA. The most important skills for a laboratory research assistant are data collection, patients, and laboratory equipment.

Sample prep technician vs laboratory research assistant overview

	Sample Prep Technician	Laboratory Research Assistant
Yearly salary	$42,504	$36,537
Hourly rate	$20.43	$17.57
Growth rate	7%	17%
Number of jobs	63,971	87,343
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

What does a sample prep technician do?

Sample Prep Technicians are responsible for carrying out sample preparation and laboratory testings. Their duties include client samples sorting and logging, conducting preliminary sample preparation, monitoring temperatures of freezers and refrigerators, cleaning of N-Evap, water baths refrigerators, and foreheads, and making sure proper procedures for sample returning, disposal, and archiving. They calibrate equipment such as pipettes, syringes, and balances, wash glassware, dispose of waste solvents, salinize liners and glass wools and sustain standard inventory. Sample Prep Technicians also perform equipment repair, assist laboratory technician, and ensure work adhere to organizations environmental, quality, health, and safety policies.

What does a laboratory research assistant do?

A laboratory research assistant is an individual who performs lab experiments and carries out projects designed by senior lab staff members. Laboratory research assistants design and conduct experiments using biohazards and other dangerous materials to gain information and test scientific processes. They must write detailed reports of their research and experiments and then deliver these reports in written and verbal forms. Laboratory research assistants may also work in different settings such as medical facilities and pharmaceutical companies.

Sample prep technician vs laboratory research assistant salary

Sample prep technicians and laboratory research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sample Prep Technician	Laboratory Research Assistant
Average salary	$42,504	$36,537
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $63,000	Between $24,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Fall River, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Los Alamos National Laboratory	New York University
Best paying industry	Automotive	Education

Differences between sample prep technician and laboratory research assistant education

There are a few differences between a sample prep technician and a laboratory research assistant in terms of educational background:

	Sample Prep Technician	Laboratory Research Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Harvard University

Sample prep technician vs laboratory research assistant demographics

Here are the differences between sample prep technicians' and laboratory research assistants' demographics:

	Sample Prep Technician	Laboratory Research Assistant
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%	Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between sample prep technician and laboratory research assistant duties and responsibilities

Sample prep technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing technical and regulatory site visits to the laboratory and interface with QA and RA on all vendor/regulatory audits.
Maintain cleanliness of car wash.
Certify weights of shipments of grain and shipping containers according to USDA regulations.
Perform quality control (QC) testing of environmental samples within assign sample batches.
Perform calibration checks on pipettes monthly, on microwaves weekly, on scales daily.
Experience utilizing proper PPE for task, and ensuring a safe work area through housekeeping.

Laboratory research assistant example responsibilities.

Manage participant records according to IRB guidelines to ensure confidentiality.
Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Maintain microbial culture and isolate and purify bacterial and viral DNA and RNA to study the genome of common pathogenic bacteria.
Perform protein extraction on larvae.
Perform biological assays, including ELISA and RT-PCR.
Gain extensive MLST, RT-PCR, conventional PCR, primer design and gel-electrophoresis experience.

Sample prep technician vs laboratory research assistant skills

Common sample prep technician skills

QC, 12%
Lab Equipment, 10%
AA, 10%
Safety Regulations, 7%
Sample Prep, 6%
Lims, 6%

Common laboratory research assistant skills

Data Collection, 5%
Patients, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%
Lab Procedures, 5%
Laboratory Techniques, 5%
Molecular Biology, 4%

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Sample Prep Technician
Sample Prep Technician vs Laboratory Research Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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