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The differences between histotechnicians and 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 histotechnician and a laboratory assistant. Additionally, a histotechnician has an average salary of $49,119, which is higher than the $34,168 average annual salary of a laboratory assistant.
The top three skills for a histotechnician include ASCP, tissue specimens and CLIA. The most important skills for a laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and customer service.
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $49,119 | $34,168 |
| Hourly rate | $23.61 | $16.43 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 42,647 | 50,853 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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.
Laboratory assistants work for researchers, scientists, or professors in the laboratory setting. They are expected to have a solid background in the field of study of the laboratory they are assigned to. They do a variety of tasks in the laboratory, such as setting up equipment, observing experiments, analyzing results, creating reports, and recommending improvements to the testing. They may also be assigned to clean and sanitize laboratory equipment as needed. Laboratory assistants should have good research skills, analytical skills, and organizational skills.
Histotechnicians and laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average salary | $49,119 | $34,168 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $80,000 | Between $26,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | UST Global |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a histotechnician and a laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | New York University |
Here are the differences between histotechnicians' and laboratory assistants' demographics:
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% | Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4% |
| 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, 9.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 13.9% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |