When you hear the phrase 'lab technician', you probably picture the medical laboratory technicians you've seen gazing into microscopes and exchanging quips with the doctors on TV shows like House, Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy.
But lab technicians aren't exclusively found in hospitals - they work in all sorts of different industries, from energy to manufacturing. Indeed, 'laboratory technician' is a fairly broad term that can apply to just about anyone who works with scientific equipment in a lab environment.
Lab Technician Job Description
As you'd expect, lab technicians work almost entirely within laboratories, where they carry out a range of tasks, tests and experiments. This could mean:
- Analysing DNA samples for the police
- Diagnosing diseases in a hospital
- Testing foodstuffs to make sure they're safe for consumption
- Developing new technologies and solutions
In addition to performing tests/experiments and recording the results, laboratory technicians are often responsible for the running and maintenance of the lab itself, too. A lab technician's more humdrum tasks might include cleaning test tubes, taking inventory, and labelling key items for ease of identification.
Job Requirements
In order to land yourself a lab technician job, you will generally need a degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Molecular Biology if you will be working with DNA samples).
As ever, relevant experience will make you more attractive to potential employers, but you will also need to prove that you possess the skills/knowledge necessary to carry out the tasks that will be assigned to you.
Salary
The average lab technician in the UK makes around £21,000 per year, but as with most roles, salaries vary depending on experience and line of work. Some laboratory technicians make upwards of £30,000 per year.
If you'd like to see some more specific lab technician job descriptions, please use the link below to browse the latest lab tech vacancies from Hyper Recruitment Solutions.
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