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Histologic technician vs clinical laboratory assistant

The differences between histologic technicians and clinical laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a histologic technician, becoming a clinical laboratory assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a histologic technician has an average salary of $49,962, which is higher than the $32,679 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a histologic technician include ASCP, patients and tissue specimens. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and clinical lab.

Histologic technician vs clinical laboratory assistant overview

Histologic TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary$49,962$32,679
Hourly rate$24.02$15.71
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs6,785108,124
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4444
Years of experience212

What does a histologic technician do?

A Histologic Technician prepares tissue specimens for routine and special procedures to confirm a patient diagnosis. They work in hospital laboratories, government agencies, public health departments, and other institutions.

What does a clinical laboratory assistant do?

A clinical laboratory assistant specializes in performing support tasks in a laboratory or similar setting using their in-depth knowledge. They are primarily responsible for assisting researchers, preparing samples and apparatus, conducting experiments and analysis, maintaining extensive documentation of all processes and results, and reporting to management. Moreover, a clinical laboratory assistant is also responsible for gathering necessary information before beginning studies and maintaining the laboratory's cleanliness and sanitation. It is vital to implement all the safety rules and regulations to ensure a safe and productive work environment.

Histologic technician vs clinical laboratory assistant salary

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

Histologic TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average salary$49,962$32,679
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $75,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CAAnchorage, AK
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyBattelleRoswell Park
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between histologic technician and clinical laboratory assistant education

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

Histologic TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNew York University

Histologic technician vs clinical laboratory assistant demographics

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

Histologic TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 30.4% Female, 69.6%Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 12.1% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between histologic technician and clinical laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Histologic technician example responsibilities.

  • Perform routine histology/cytology procedures and IHC and manage 7-20 staff members.
  • Develop and implement health and safety protocols and procedures in accordance with CLIA and OSHA regulations
  • Develop a higher grade eosin for stainline.
  • Enter patient specimens into the EMR system/file patient records.
  • Cut all control slides for research and run all immunofluorescence slides.
  • Perform processing, embedding, microtomy, cryostating, routine and special stains.
  • Show more

Clinical laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

  • Achieve PHLEBOTOMY duties utilizing proper infection control techniques and perform a variety of laboratory tests.
  • Process specimen, recollect and deliver to chemistry, microbiology, molecular or hematology departments for testing.
  • Receive specimens for microbiology, histology, cytology, anatomic pathology and hematology tests/procedures, checks for proper identification and requisition.
  • Operate EKG and other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.
  • Transfer of samples from racks to centrifuges and decant station.
  • Administer EKG's, clean wounds, draw labs, and apply dressings.
  • Show more

Histologic technician vs clinical laboratory assistant skills

Common histologic technician skills
  • ASCP, 15%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Tissue Specimens, 5%
  • CLIA, 4%
  • IHC, 4%
  • Sectioning, 4%
Common clinical laboratory assistant skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Phlebotomy, 14%
  • Clinical Lab, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Specimen Collection, 4%
  • Patient Care, 4%

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