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The differences between histotechnicians and clinical 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 histotechnician and a clinical technician. Additionally, a histotechnician has an average salary of $49,119, which is higher than the $35,760 average annual salary of a clinical technician.
The top three skills for a histotechnician include ASCP, tissue specimens and CLIA. The most important skills for a clinical technician are patients, vital signs, and phlebotomy.
| Histotechnician | Clinical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,119 | $35,760 |
| Hourly rate | $23.61 | $17.19 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 42,647 | 161,812 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Histotechnicians are clinical laboratory technicians who prepare thin body tissue samples by pathologists. The majority of the technicians work in hospitals or libraries. Among the duties they perform include special stains, filling slides and blocks, send-outs, and re-cuts. They execute routine and complex non-routine special stains like tissue and specimen cutting and embedding. It is also their responsibility to execute routine maintenance and calibrations of microscopes, automated slide strainers, and microtomes.
A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations. They also maintain medical charts, update patients' information on the database, and administer patients' medication. A clinical technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, as well as strictly following internal guidelines and safety procedures during operations.
Histotechnicians and clinical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Histotechnician | Clinical Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,119 | $35,760 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $80,000 | Between $26,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | Brigham and Women's Hospital |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a histotechnician and a clinical technician in terms of educational background:
| Histotechnician | Clinical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between histotechnicians' and clinical technicians' demographics:
| Histotechnician | Clinical Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |