Laboratory associate vs histologic technician

The differences between laboratory associates and histologic technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a laboratory associate, becoming a histologic technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a histologic technician has an average salary of $49,962, which is higher than the $42,756 average annual salary of a laboratory associate.

The top three skills for a laboratory associate include patients, specimen handling and phlebotomy. The most important skills for a histologic technician are ASCP, patients, and tissue specimens.

Laboratory associate vs histologic technician overview

	Laboratory Associate	Histologic Technician
Yearly salary	$42,756	$49,962
Hourly rate	$20.56	$24.02
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	50,050	6,785
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	12	2

What does a laboratory associate do?

A laboratory associate's responsibilities revolve around preparing test samples and subjecting them into different examination processes for scientific purposes. Aside from performing extensive analysis, they are also responsible for recording data, reviewing findings, collaborating with other scientists, and producing various reports and presentations. A laboratory associate can work for an institution or private company; they may also choose to contribute their studies in different publications and research activities. Furthermore, as a laboratory practitioner, it is essential to adhere to all the laboratory safety policies and regulations, ensuring a safe and healthy work environment.

What does a histologic technician do?

A Histologic Technician prepares tissue specimens for routine and special procedures to confirm a patient diagnosis. They work in hospital laboratories, government agencies, public health departments, and other institutions.

Laboratory associate vs histologic technician salary

Laboratory associates and histologic technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laboratory Associate	Histologic Technician
Average salary	$42,756	$49,962
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $63,000	Between $33,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Battelle
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	-

Differences between laboratory associate and histologic technician education

There are a few differences between a laboratory associate and a histologic technician in terms of educational background:

	Laboratory Associate	Histologic Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	Stanford University

Laboratory associate vs histologic technician demographics

Here are the differences between laboratory associates' and histologic technicians' demographics:

	Laboratory Associate	Histologic Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8%	Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 12.2% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 12.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between laboratory associate and histologic technician duties and responsibilities

Laboratory associate example responsibilities.

Manage supply inventory and maintain cleanliness.
Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Direct patient care, phlebotomy, medical billing, clinical laboratory specimen collection, reference laboratory coordinator, specimen courier.
Operate combines to harvest crops for yield-testing field crops.
Perform fluorescence in situ hybridization in a CLIA certify lab.
Utilize CoPath for receiving specimen and reporting out of test results.

Histologic technician example responsibilities.

Perform routine histology/cytology procedures and IHC and manage 7-20 staff members.
Develop and implement health and safety protocols and procedures in accordance with CLIA and OSHA regulations
Develop a higher grade eosin for stainline.
Enter patient specimens into the EMR system/file patient records.
Cut all control slides for research and run all immunofluorescence slides.
Perform processing, embedding, microtomy, cryostating, routine and special stains.

Laboratory associate vs histologic technician skills

Common laboratory associate skills

Patients, 10%
Specimen Handling, 6%
Phlebotomy, 6%
Chemistry, 6%
Customer Service, 4%
Patient Care, 4%

Common histologic technician skills

ASCP, 15%
Patients, 12%
Tissue Specimens, 5%
CLIA, 4%
IHC, 4%
Sectioning, 4%

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Laboratory Associate
Laboratory Associate vs Histologic Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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