How To Become A Pathology Laboratory Technologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pathology laboratory technologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Ethan Kentzel MS, MLS ASCPcm

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a pathology laboratory technologist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.1 an hour? That's $41,812 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 83,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a pathology laboratory technologist?

Ethan Kentzel MS, MLS ASCPcm

Program Director, Medical Laboratory Science and Phlebotomy Programs, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

You completed an MLS program and you have learned a ton of information in a short span of time. However, there is still so much to learn for Medical Laboratory Science! We recommend that you do your best to grow into the role, practice with a questioning attitude, participate and advocate for the field, consider joining our advocacy group - the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). If you have not taken your ASCP MLS BOC exam, we highly recommend that you do as a way to validate your learning experiences and to optimize your long term career growth.

ScorePathology Laboratory TechnologistUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,812

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.6

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 13.73%

Black or African American 10.76%

Hispanic or Latino 17.11%

Unknown 5.11%

White 52.49%

Gender

female 63.69%

male 36.31%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pathology laboratory technologist

Explore pathology laboratory technologist education requirements

Most common pathology laboratory technologist degrees

Bachelor's

72.4 %

Associate

13.8 %

Master's

5.5 %

Start to develop specific pathology laboratory technologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	9.37%
OSHA	8.95%
Specimen Handling	8.54%
Medical Terminology	8.11%
Laboratory Tests	7.56%

Complete relevant pathology laboratory technologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pathology laboratory technologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pathology laboratory technologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pathology laboratory technologist resumes.

Research pathology laboratory technologist duties and responsibilities

Operate and manage standard quality control on laboratory equipment as well as some specialize equipment for serology studies.
Perform both RNA and DNA PCR (RT-PCR) assays.
Master DNA/RNA extraction and amplification.
Programme DNA extraction, amplification and analysis software.

Prepare your pathology laboratory technologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pathology laboratory technologist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pathology laboratory technologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable pathology laboratory technologist resume templates

Build a professional pathology laboratory technologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pathology laboratory technologist resume.