A laboratory technician or (informally) lab tech is a person who works in a laboratory performing analytical or experimental procedures, maintaining laboratory equipment.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of the term laboratory technician was in 1896:1
It [sc. a therapeutic property] is now totally abandoned by the advanced laboratory technicians.
The term is now widely accepted. Laboratory technicians are found in a wide range of scientific fields, including forensic science, pathology, chemistry, biomedical science and physics. Laboratory technicians may hold a range of formal academic qualifications, such as associate degrees, often obtained through vocational education. They are usually supervised by laboratory managers.2
References
References
- St Louis Clinique. 9: 395. 1896.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - "Natural Sciences Managers". Occupational Outlook Handbook. U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. September 8, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.