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The differences between histotechnicians and medical technologists 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 medical technologist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical technologist has an average salary of $53,249, 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 technologist are patients, clinical laboratory, and ASCP.
| Histotechnician | Medical Technologist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,119 | $53,249 |
| Hourly rate | $23.61 | $25.60 |
| Growth rate | 17% | - |
| Number of jobs | 42,647 | 116,495 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| 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 medical technologist's role is to conduct laboratory tests with accuracy and speed. It is their responsibility to gather, prepare, and analyze samples such as blood, tissues, and bodily fluid. The produced results will be crucial to a patient's diagnosis and further treatments. It is also essential for medical technologists to keep a precise record of data and coordinate with fellow team members and physicians to ensure the fast and efficient delivery of results. Furthermore, a medical technologist can choose to work in different establishments such as a hospital, laboratory, or private clinic.
Histotechnicians and medical technologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Histotechnician | Medical Technologist | |
| Average salary | $49,119 | $53,249 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $80,000 | Between $41,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | Children's Hospital Colorado |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a histotechnician and a medical technologist in terms of educational background:
| Histotechnician | Medical Technologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Biology | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | New York University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between histotechnicians' and medical technologists' demographics:
| Histotechnician | Medical Technologist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% |
| 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, 11.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |