What Histology (Histo) Technologists Do

Histotechnologists prepare slides of sections of body tissue for microscopic examination by pathologists. 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.

Types of Work Environments

  • Hospitals
  • Research laboratories

Education and Training Requirements

Histotechnologists typically earn a four-year bachelor's degree and acquire one year of training. While histotechnicians often only earn a two-year associate degree.

Salary

According to salary.com, the median salary for histotechnologists is approximately $66,701 per year.

Professional Organization

The National Society for Histotechnology

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