Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between sample prep technicians and technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a sample prep technician has an average salary of $42,504, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.
The top three skills for a sample prep technician include QC, lab equipment and AA. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Sample Prep Technician | Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,504 | $38,045 |
| Hourly rate | $20.43 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 63,971 | 596,842 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Sample prep technicians and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sample Prep Technician | Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,504 | $38,045 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $63,000 | Between $24,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fall River, MA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a sample prep technician and a technician in terms of educational background:
| Sample Prep Technician | Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between sample prep technicians' and technicians' demographics:
| Sample Prep Technician | Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4% | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 2% |