LABORATORY SCIENCES
Histologic Technician/Technologist
To be a successful Histologic Technician/Technologist you should...
show accuracy and attention to detail; be a problem-solver; like challenge and responsibility; able to work independently with little supervision; be able to communicate well, both orally and in writing.
What will my job be like?
Histology technicians (HTs) and histotechnologists (HTLs) are experts in slide preparation for use by pathologists and scientists. Histology is the microscopic study of tissues and their structures. They prepare tissue sections for microscopic slide preparation for pathologists or other medical scientists. They section, stain and coverslip microscopic tissue sections on slides to identify signs of disease, illness, or malignancies in the body. The tissue may be human, animal, or plant in origin. The histotechnologist may specialize in more complex techniques such as enzyme histochemistry, immuno-histo chemistry and electron microscopy.
Where could I work?
Histologic technicians have a wide choice of practice settings. Hospitals, for-profit laboratories, clinics, and public health facilities. Other opportunities for histologic technicians are in industrial research, veterinary pathology, marine biology, and forensic pathology.
Average Annual Salary
$60,780 per year
What is the future of this career?
Employment of clinical laboratory technologists and technicians is projected to grow 5 percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 24,200 openings for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Type of Education/Training
Programs for certified histotechnologist are four years and lead to a bachelor’s degree.
Where could I get the education/training?
- Goodwin University
Licensing/Certification
Licensure is not required in the state of Connecticut. Prerequisite: The Board of Registry of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists gives a national certification exam. Students take this exam after meeting their academic and laboratory education requirements. Those who pass the exam for histologic technician may use the initials HT (ASCP) after their name to show they are proficient in their field.
More Information
American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
P.O. Box 92
Dundee, MI 48131
301.478.6379
National Society for Histotechnology
3545 Ellicott Mills Drive, PMB 204
Ellicott City, MD 21043
443-535-4060
