Laboratory Technician job description

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Description - Skills - Education - Trends

Individuals working as laboratory technicians in the pharmaceutical industry work alongside a medical professional, often administrating tests in regards to patient samples, which may be in the form of bodily fluids or tissues. These tests are used primarily in diagnostic efforts so that doctors, dentists and the like can provide effective treatment
Tasks involved with lab tech positions include monitoring testing procedures, examining samples for injuries, bacteria and other infections and matching blood for transfusions and chemical analysis, though duties can vary quite a bit depending on the exact position. Those working in a dental office will have significantly different day-to-day tasks than those working in academic facilities or hospitals, for example. Many posts generally require a Bachelors degree as well as in-house training and Institute of Biomedical Science certification
The average salary for a UK-based laboratory technician is around £23,000 per year. Entry-level positions often start at less than £20,000 and those with numerous years of experience can earn in the neighbourhood of £30,000 per year, though supervisors can see even higher figures.

Description

Laboratory Technicians are required to do laboratory tests and assist technologist, scientists and other workers related to this sector. Some areas of work for these technicians are scientific analysis and testing, education, research and development, forensic science, and manufacturing. They are involved in developing new products, measuring levels of pollution, diagnosing diseases, and carrying out several kinds of tests.

A Laboratory Technician usually performs many of the following tasks:
• Analysing samples.
• Reporting data.
• Setting up investigations and experiments.
• Ensuring equipment cleanness.
• Testing materials.

Skills

• Having abilities to meet deadlines.
• Having competent math and IT skills.
• Being able to work alone and inside a team.
• Being methodical.
• Being able to concentrate for long periods of time.
• Having good problem solving abilities.
• Being responsible.
• Being able to work under pressure.
• Having high attention to details.
• Having good communication abilities.

Education

Laboratory technician jobs have a wide variety of requirements for applicants. Most employers look for technicians with four GCSE’s/S grades (A-C/1-3), including English, science, math or equivalent subjects as a minimum. In the case of the National Health Service, there are no further requirements to be a laboratory technician, but it is always recommended to have other degrees.

Apprenticeships are good paths to enter to this area by providing training schemes with an employer. Arrangements for these courses are different for every country of the United Kingdom.

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