If the thought of a career in the clinical laboratory sounds intriguing and you are looking for something more specialized, a Cytotechnologist or Histotechnologist position may be a worthy consideration.
What is a cytotechnologist?
The prefix "cyto" means "cell." The use of technology--or more specifically a microscope--to study cells is cytotechnology.
As a cytotechnologist, you will prepare and examine body cells under the microscope to detect abnormalities that may be important to the early diagnosis of cancer or other diseases.
The field is perhaps best known for the Pap test, an evaluation of cells from the uterine cervix. But cytotechnology techniques can also identify precancerous or cancer cells in virtually any area of the body.
What is a histotechnologist?
Histotechnologists prepare slides of sections of body tissue for microscopic examination by pathologists. In fact, the prefix "histo" means "tissue."
These professionals perform complex procedures for processing body tissue and must make judgments concerning the quality of results. The process of preparing human tissue specimens includes tissue fixation, dehydration, sectioning, mounting and special staining.
This work is often done while a surgical team awaits a pathologist’s diagnosis. Therefore, the work must be done extremely quickly and accurately. A histotechnician works under the supervision of a histotechnologist.
Personality
- Comfortable with high degree of responsibility
- Scientific
- Enjoys working independently and as a team
- Detail-oriented
Education requirements
Cytotechnologist:
4-year Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited program
Histotechnologist:
4-year Baccalaureate Degree + one year of training
Histotechnician:
2-year Associate Degree
Salary Range
$58,352 and $68,882
Salary.Com
(Middle 50%)
(http://www.salary.com/salary/index.asp)Â