Biotechnician: Job Description, Duties and Requirements

Biotechnicians, also known as biological technicians, often work in laboratories aiding scientists and researchers in their studies of living organisms. A minimum of a bachelor's degree is recommended to become a biotechnician.

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Job Description of a Biotechnician

Biotechnicians work in a wide variety of industries, including horticulture, healthcare and technology. Primarily scientific researchers and assistants, biotechnicians provide support to biologists and other scientists in the lab and the field. Their work focuses on the study of living organisms. Experiments and research helps them to discover new pharmaceuticals and medical treatments, improve agricultural productivity, advance forensic processes and develop new technologies.

Job Duties of a Biotechnician

Biotechnicians gather and process data under the direction of a biological researcher or scientist. They need to be familiar with federal or state regulations that relate to a particular subject, study or experiment. Knowledge of laboratory procedures and equipment is necessary for the job, and they need to provide thorough and meticulous work.

In the lab, biotechnicians clean, set-up, prepare and operate equipment while researching a project. They should be strong at computational mathematics and have good computer skills for recording and inputting data. Attention to detail is vital, and the job generally requires significant documentation and reporting on experimental findings.

Education Requirements of a Biotechnician

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that biotechnicians typically need at least a bachelor's degree to enter the field (www.bls.gov). Bachelor's degree programs in biology and laboratory science provide the education and hands-on learning necessary to qualify graduates for entry-level jobs as biotechnicians. Those seeking advanced positions could enroll in a master's degree program that focuses on research and allows students to specialize in a particular area of biology, such as biotechnology, medical biology or agriculture.

A 4-year bachelor's program often includes significant lab training in addition to lecture and didactic courses. Some schools offer undergraduate concentrations, such as ecology or molecular biology. Students study cell biology, genetics, physiology and chemistry. A master's degree can usually be earned in two years, and many schools allow students to structure the curricula to a particular interest. Common courses include molecular biology, biochemistry, advanced cell biology and biological evolution.

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