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Technical specialist, cytology vs clinical laboratory assistant

The differences between technical specialists, cytology and clinical laboratory assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a technical specialist, cytology and a clinical laboratory assistant. Additionally, a technical specialist, cytology has an average salary of $54,859, which is higher than the $32,679 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a technical specialist, cytology include clinical laboratory, non-gyn and FNA. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory assistant are patients, phlebotomy, and clinical lab.

Technical specialist, cytology vs clinical laboratory assistant overview

Technical Specialist, CytologyClinical Laboratory Assistant
Yearly salary$54,859$32,679
Hourly rate$26.37$15.71
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs71,647108,124
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4444
Years of experience1212

Technical specialist, cytology vs clinical laboratory assistant salary

Technical specialists, cytology and clinical laboratory assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical Specialist, CytologyClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average salary$54,859$32,679
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $73,000Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City-Anchorage, AK
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-Roswell Park
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between technical specialist, cytology and clinical laboratory assistant education

There are a few differences between a technical specialist, cytology and a clinical laboratory assistant in terms of educational background:

Technical Specialist, CytologyClinical Laboratory Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeNew York UniversityNew York University

Technical specialist, cytology vs clinical laboratory assistant demographics

Here are the differences between technical specialists, cytology' and clinical laboratory assistants' demographics:

Technical Specialist, CytologyClinical Laboratory Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 22.4% Female, 77.6%Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 12.2% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 12.1% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between technical specialist, cytology and clinical laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities

Technical specialist, cytology example responsibilities.

  • Manage and supervise the operations of the cytology department.
  • Perform QC and QA of all slides process.
  • Numbered, stain and cover slip all GYN and non-GYN specimens.
  • Prepare GYN and Non-GYN specimens, make slides, and stain for cytologist and pathologist to interpret.
  • Work with Thinprep and Surepath cytology and pathology preparations.
  • Initiate and implement projects for cost reduction, productivity improvement, and increase equipment availability/reliability and to meet ISO compliance.
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Clinical laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

  • Achieve PHLEBOTOMY duties utilizing proper infection control techniques and perform a variety of laboratory tests.
  • Process specimen, recollect and deliver to chemistry, microbiology, molecular or hematology departments for testing.
  • Receive specimens for microbiology, histology, cytology, anatomic pathology and hematology tests/procedures, checks for proper identification and requisition.
  • Operate EKG and other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.
  • Transfer of samples from racks to centrifuges and decant station.
  • Administer EKG's, clean wounds, draw labs, and apply dressings.
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Technical specialist, cytology vs clinical laboratory assistant skills

Common technical specialist, cytology skills
  • Clinical Laboratory, 22%
  • Non-Gyn, 18%
  • FNA, 9%
  • Computer System, 8%
  • Cell Samples, 7%
  • Laboratory Equipment, 6%
Common clinical laboratory assistant skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Phlebotomy, 14%
  • Clinical Lab, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Specimen Collection, 4%
  • Patient Care, 4%

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