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The differences between histologic technicians and medical laboratory technicians 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 medical laboratory technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a medical laboratory technician has an average salary of $51,780, which is higher than the $49,962 average annual salary of a histologic technician.
The top three skills for a histologic technician include ASCP, patients and tissue specimens. The most important skills for a medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.
| Histologic Technician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,962 | $51,780 |
| Hourly rate | $24.02 | $24.89 |
| Growth rate | - | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 6,785 | 88,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
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.
A medical laboratory technician is responsible for assisting medical health professionals in conducting laboratory tests to diagnose patients' conditions and provide treatments. Medical laboratory technicians ensure the sanitation of all the tools and equipment before conducting tests. They collect adequate blood samples and specimens, analyze fluid elements, utilize laboratory equipment safely, create reports of findings, and alert medical personnel and medical technologists of emergency conditions. A medical laboratory technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry disciplines and processes to perform sensitive tasks and release accurate medical results.
Histologic technicians and medical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Histologic Technician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,962 | $51,780 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $75,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Battelle | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a histologic technician and a medical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Histologic Technician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Biology | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between histologic technicians' and medical laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Histologic Technician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |