Cytology laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician

The differences between cytology laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a cytology laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician. Additionally, a clinical laboratory technician has an average salary of $50,756, which is higher than the $46,680 average annual salary of a cytology laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a cytology laboratory technician include clinical laboratory, laboratory equipment and routine maintenance. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory technician are patients, test results, and patient care.

Cytology laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician overview

	Cytology Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$46,680	$50,756
Hourly rate	$22.44	$24.40
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	41,901	119,050
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	12

Cytology laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician salary

Cytology laboratory technicians and clinical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cytology Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$46,680	$50,756
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $78,000	Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Stockton, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Claxton Hepburn
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between cytology laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a cytology laboratory technician and a clinical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Cytology Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Northwestern University	New York University

Cytology laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between cytology laboratory technicians' and clinical laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Cytology Laboratory Technician	Clinical Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7%	Male, 34.5% Female, 65.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 12.9% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between cytology laboratory technician and clinical laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Cytology laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Lead aerobic, anaerobic and UV light testing, chemical residue testing and centrifuge to separate chemicals from water.
Maintain and operate laboratory equipment and commendably troubleshoot and resolve an assortment of laboratory testing analyzers and perform diverse chemical tests.
Read experimental protocols and perform experiments following directions (including tissue collection, molecular biology, gel electrophoresis, etc . )

Clinical laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Provide oversight of training and competency testing of technicians to ensure compliance with CLIA, HIPPA and OSHA guidelines.
Collect, process, and analyze clinical specimens for several departments including microbiology, chemistry, hematology, and urinalysis
Experience working in a hospital laboratory in automate chemistry, hematology, blood bank, urinalysis, and immunology departments.
Dispose of biohazard wastes according to OSHA standards ..
Screen blood products for pathogens and co-treatment success.

Cytology laboratory technician vs clinical laboratory technician skills

Common cytology laboratory technician skills

Clinical Laboratory, 36%
Laboratory Equipment, 17%
Routine Maintenance, 14%
Non-Gynecological, 13%
FNA, 10%
Equipment Maintenance, 9%

Common clinical laboratory technician skills

Patients, 16%
Test Results, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Hematology, 5%
Body Fluids, 4%
Proficiency Testing, 4%

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Cytology Laboratory Technician
Cytology Laboratory Technician vs Clinical Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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