Lab Analyst at Work
Laboratory analysts or laboratory technicians work in labs and analyze various substances. Here in the U.S. about two-thirds of laboratory personnel work in hospitals or doctor's offices, and about one-third work in industrial settings (factory and plant labs and testing centers). Over 600,000 lab analysts and technicians were employed in the U.S. in 2008, over 325,000 in the health-care field.
Education and Training for Lab Analysts
Lab analyst positions require a minimum of an associate's degree in scientific or technical field, and many require a bachelor's degree in a field related to the employment. Working in a lab can be dangerous, and most most hospitals, companies, and agencies have an extensive training program in place to familiarize their employees with the specific equipment and processes.
The Work of a Lab Analyst
Lab analysts perform a wide variety of technical tasks in laboratories, testing centers, and other clinical settings. Depending on the lab and the individual's background and experience, the lab analyst may be mainly involved in hands-on lab work or be responsible for preparing and maintaining the lab equipment, or be on the data analysis end of the process.
Lab Analysts in the Health-care Field
More lab analysts work in the health-care field than in any other industry. There were more than 325,000 people employed as lab analysts in hospitals and doctor's offices in the U.S. in 2008. The work mostly involves testing and analyzing various bodily fluids, and does require a minimum of an associates degrees in biology/life science and at least some laboratory experience.
Lab Analysts in Industrial Settings
Lab analysts are also employed in a broad range of industrial settings. Chemical lab analysts work with chemists and chemical engineers in labs and production environments to test for purity, types of contamination, etc. Lab analysts are also commonly employed in agriculture/food science, geology and the petrochemical industry, as well as in environmental science and forensic science (think CSI).
Entry-level and Senior Lab Analyst Positions
Entry-level lab analysts positions are commonly available and growth prospects are good, especially in the biological sciences and health care fields (but slight negative growth is forecast for chemical lab analysts due to automation and consolidation in the industry). Entry-level lab analyst positions require a minimum of an associate degree in a technical field, and start at around $25,000 to $30,000 annually.
Senior lab analysts do more advanced scientific work, and often are responsible for one or more teams with specific technical functions. Senior lab analyst almost always have bachelor's or graduate degrees in the field, and can command salaries of $60,000 to $100,000.
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