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The differences between histotechnicians and medical laboratory 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 medical laboratory technician. Additionally, a medical laboratory technician has an average salary of $51,780, 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 medical laboratory technician are medical laboratory, patients, and ASCP.
| Histotechnician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,119 | $51,780 |
| Hourly rate | $23.61 | $24.89 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 42,647 | 88,721 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | 3.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| 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 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.
Histotechnicians and medical laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Histotechnician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,119 | $51,780 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $80,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a histotechnician and a medical laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Histotechnician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Associate Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Biology | Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Maryland - College Park |
Here are the differences between histotechnicians' and medical laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Histotechnician | Medical Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% | Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7% |
| 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, 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% |