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The differences between histotechnicians and laboratory specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a histotechnician, becoming a laboratory specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a laboratory specialist has an average salary of $50,357, which is higher than the $49,119 average annual salary of a histotechnician.
The top three skills for a histotechnician include ASCP, tissue specimens and CLIA. The most important skills for a laboratory specialist are chemistry, patients, and test results.
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,119 | $50,357 |
| Hourly rate | $23.61 | $24.21 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 42,647 | 68,634 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
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 laboratory specialist develops the areas assigned to them and promotes maximum resource allocation and utilization to achieve their goals. Laboratory specialists handle storage and backup devices, support telecommunication-associated equipment, and relay customer requests and issues. It is their job to process specimens in toxicology, coagulation, microbiology, hematology, chemistry, and urinalysis. Skills and knowledge in a photo lab, cell culture, customer service, and test cases are necessary for this position.
Histotechnicians and laboratory specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,119 | $50,357 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $80,000 | Between $36,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | Nokia |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a histotechnician and a laboratory specialist in terms of educational background:
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | SUNY Stony Brook |
Here are the differences between histotechnicians' and laboratory specialists' demographics:
| Histotechnician | Laboratory Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% | Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7% |
| 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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |