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Histopathology technician vs clinical laboratory assistant

The differences between histopathology technicians and clinical laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a histopathology technician and a clinical laboratory assistant. Additionally, a histopathology technician has an average salary of $59,825, which is higher than the $32,679 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a histopathology technician include laboratory equipment, laboratory results and anatomic pathology. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and clinical lab.

Histopathology technician vs clinical laboratory assistant overview

Histopathology TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary$59,825$32,679
Hourly rate$28.76$15.71
Growth rate17%10%
Number of jobs18,825108,124
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4444
Years of experience1212

Histopathology technician vs clinical laboratory assistant salary

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

Histopathology TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average salary$59,825$32,679
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $99,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CityLebanon, PAAnchorage, AK
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyZoetisRoswell Park
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between histopathology technician and clinical laboratory assistant education

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

Histopathology TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeNew York UniversityNew York University

Histopathology technician vs clinical laboratory assistant demographics

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

Histopathology TechnicianClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 41.9% Female, 58.1%Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.0% 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 histopathology technician and clinical laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Histopathology technician example responsibilities.

  • Recognize & investigate instrument malfunctions, perform calibrations, manage QC, and maintain comprehensive written records of tests & procedures.
  • Validate and optimize antibody for clinical immunohistochemistry assay.
  • Prepare cell block from urine, bronchial brushing, washing, FNA slide preparation.
  • Validate and optimize antibody for clinical immunohistochemistry assay.

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

Histopathology technician vs clinical laboratory assistant skills

Common histopathology technician skills
  • Laboratory Equipment, 15%
  • Laboratory Results, 12%
  • Anatomic Pathology, 11%
  • Troubleshoot, 8%
  • Sectioning, 6%
  • Tissue Samples, 6%
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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