Histotechnician
Impact: Indirect Patient Care
Prepare tissue samples for microscopic examination by fixing, processing, embedding, cutting, and staining specimens to support accurate disease diagnosis and patient assessment.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Minimal
- Team vs solo
- Team-oriented with independent tasks
- Client facing
- Never
- Impact visibility
- Low
- Travel
- Low
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $63,000
- Entry-level
- $50,000
- Senior
- $75,000
- Growth by 2033
- 2%
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate
- Typical student debt
- $20,000 - $40,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Microtomy
- Histological Staining
- Laboratory Equipment Operation
Soft skills
- Attention to Detail
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Associate's degree
- Licensing
- Yes
- Years to mid-career
- 5
- Years to senior
- 10
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Histotechnologist, Laboratory Supervisor, Research Assistant
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- Low
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 7/10
- Meaning
- 7.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 6.5/10
- Prestige
- 6.5/10
- Social perception
- Moderate