Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code IRC

Histotechnologists

Apply knowledge of health and disease causes to evaluate new laboratory techniques and procedures to examine tissue samples. Process and prepare histological slides from tissue sections for microscopic examination and diagnosis by pathologists. May solve technical or instrument problems or assist with research studies.

Also called: Histology Lab Manager (Histology Laboratory Manager), Histology Specialist, Histology Technologist, Histotechnologist, Clinical Lab Manager (Clinical Laboratory Manager).

O*NET 29-2011.04

At a glance

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 43% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Embed tissue specimens into paraffin wax blocks, or infiltrate tissue specimens with wax.
Cut sections of body tissues for microscopic examination, using microtomes.
Stain tissue specimens with dyes or other chemicals to make cell details visible under microscopes.
Compile materials for distribution to pathologists, such as surgical working drafts, requisitions, and slides.
Compile and maintain records of preventive maintenance and instrument performance checks according to schedule and regulations.
Perform tests by following physician instructions.
Operate computerized laboratory equipment to dehydrate, decalcify, or microincinerate tissue samples.
Prepare substances, such as reagents and dilution, and stains for histological specimens according to protocols.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.5 / 5
Critical Thinking3.4 / 5
Monitoring3.4 / 5
Active Listening3.3 / 5
Speaking3.3 / 5
Active Learning3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Biology4.0 / 5
Production and Processing3.5 / 5
Chemistry3.5 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.4 / 5
English Language3.2 / 5
Administrative3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic79
Investigative93
Artistic5
Social32
Enterprising1
Conventional69

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

biomedical scientist · DE Biomedizintechniker/Biomedizintechnikerin · FR technicien de biologie médicale/technicienne de biologie médicale
cytology screener · DE Zytologieassistent/Zytologieassistentin · FR technicien en dépistage cytologique/technicienne en dépistage cytologique

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Laboratory technicians (3111)51,100 employed
Biochemists and biomedical scientists (2113)68,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.28. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (29-2011).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test