Test laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician

The differences between test laboratory technicians and senior laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a test laboratory technician and a senior laboratory technician. Additionally, a test laboratory technician has an average salary of $50,765, which is higher than the $48,530 average annual salary of a senior laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a test laboratory technician include test equipment, troubleshoot and test results. The most important skills for a senior laboratory technician are lab equipment, patients, and research projects.

Test laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician overview

	Test Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$50,765	$48,530
Hourly rate	$24.41	$23.33
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	64,233	63,876
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

What does a test laboratory technician do?

A test laboratory technician is responsible for conducting laboratory tests to diagnose patients' conditions and identify their treatment plans. Test laboratory technicians safely operate laboratory tools and equipment, adhering to the strict safety standards and regulations to avoid contamination and prevent potential hazards within the laboratory. They also maintain the cleanliness of the area, as well as sanitizing the instruments and properly segregating disposable materials. A test laboratory technician analyzes results and writes medical reports under the supervision of an attending physician or medical technologist.

What does a senior laboratory technician do?

A Senior Laboratory Technician is responsible for supervising and coordinating scientific investigations and experiments. They supervise staff, provide technical support, and construct, maintain, and operate standard laboratory equipment.

Test laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician salary

Test laboratory technicians and senior laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Test Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$50,765	$48,530
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $73,000	Between $34,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Waltham, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	California
Best paying company	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	Genentech
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between test laboratory technician and senior laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a test laboratory technician and a senior laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Test Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Biology
Most common college	Purdue University	New York University

Test laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between test laboratory technicians' and senior laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Test Laboratory Technician	Senior Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%	Male, 58.6% Female, 41.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between test laboratory technician and senior laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Test laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Used LabVIEW to collect data from measurement equipment (transducers, etc . )
Assist in the design of all RF and environmental fixtures need to test these components.
Assist product engineering to make changes to products in order to meet UL and CSA standards.
Test soil, asphalt, and concrete samples for moisture, density, durability, and other characteristics.
Test done on the asphalt must pass due to the specification of GDOT specs for the contractor to use.

Senior laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Lead aerobic, anaerobic and UV light testing, chemical residue testing and centrifuge to separate chemicals from water.
Operate a binary distillation column using LabView to separate a mixture of methanol and water.
Provide and sign certificate of analyses for wet chemistry and microbiology.
Perform CFU-blast, CFU-C, CFU-D, CFU-S assays.
Create raw material library on FTIR.
Perform manual titration, including testing bacteria and other water tests.

Test laboratory technician vs senior laboratory technician skills

Common test laboratory technician skills

Test Equipment, 8%
Troubleshoot, 7%
Test Results, 6%
Test Lab, 6%
Test Methods, 5%
Data Collection, 5%

Common senior laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 9%
Patients, 8%
Research Projects, 5%
Cell Culture, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
Molecular Biology, 4%

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Test Laboratory Technician
Test Laboratory Technician vs Senior Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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