33101 – Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
Lead statement
Medical laboratory assistants and workers in related technical occupations perform pre-analysis and pre-testing tasks such as collecting blood and other samples, processing specimens, and preparing special chemicals called reagents for use in testing. They conduct routine medical laboratory tests and set up, clean and maintain medical laboratory equipment.
Main duties
- Collect, label, sort and prepare blood, tissue and other samples from patients
- Log and validate patient samples and prepare them for testing
- Set up medical laboratory equipment
- Prepare chemical reagents to be combined with biological samples for testing
- Conduct routine laboratory tests and sample analyses
- Perform quality assurance of testing techniques and record results
- Clean and maintain medical laboratory and medical laboratory equipment.
Employment requirements
- Medical laboratory assistants and related technical workers require completion of a college certificate program in medical laboratory science.
- Certification by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science is usually required by employers.
Example job titles
medical laboratory aide · medical laboratory helper · medical laboratory assistant · medical laboratory technical assistant · medical laboratory technician · renal technician · technical assistant - medical laboratory · blood bank technician · phlebotomist · phlebotomy aide · clinical laboratory technician · community health technician - medical laboratory · histology technician
Wages (per hour)
| Province / territory | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $19.18 | $27.00 | $36.11 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $21.00 | $26.50 | $33.00 |
| Nova Scotia | $20.00 | $25.00 | $33.00 |
| New Brunswick | $23.00 | $25.20 | $34.00 |
| Quebec | $21.55 | $29.02 | $37.03 |
| Ontario | $17.62 | $26.25 | $36.00 |
| Manitoba | $16.00 | $26.00 | $37.95 |
| Saskatchewan | $22.00 | $25.75 | $39.22 |
| Alberta | $23.72 | $28.62 | $35.54 |
| British Columbia | $20.50 | $28.00 | $31.00 |
Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.
Occupation details: ESDC OaSIS 2025, based on NOC 2021.