Pathology Technologist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Works in a laboratory or healthcare facility, conducts laboratory examination of samples of body tissue for diagnostic or forensic purposes to determine the causes and effects of diseases. Performs various complex clinical laboratory tests, calibrates instruments, reports test results, and conducts quality controls, meets legal required documentation standards and policies.
Job Outlook
There were 2 Pathology Technologist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 819 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Laboratory Technologist industry, which includes the Pathology Technologist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Pathology Technologist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $55,795.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $57,298.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Pathology Technologist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $50,427.
Education and Experience
Posted Pathology Technologist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 10% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 78% |
| Master's Degree | 2% |
| Doctoral Degree | 0% |
| Other | 10% |
Posted Pathology Technologist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 67% |
| 3 to 5 years | 25% |
| 6 to 8 years | 4% |
| 9+ years | 4% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Pathology Technologist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Physical Abilities (47%)
- Communication Skills (29%)
- Typing (27%)
- Computer Literacy (26%)
- Writing (22%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Bloodborne Pathogens (80%)
- Quality Assurance and Control (74%)
- Laboratory Testing (54%)
- Pathology (54%)
- Medical Technology (45%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Hazardous Waste (17%)
- Customer Service (16%)
- Legal Compliance (15%)
- Calculation (14%)
- Disease Prevention (13%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Clinical Testing (6%)
- Surgical Pathology (6%)
- Fungal Pathogens (6%)
- Histocompatibility (5%)
- Sample Preparation (5%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Clinical Testing (6%) – marginal value $2,969
- Surgical Pathology (6%) – marginal value $2,318
- Flow Cytometry (3%) – marginal value $1,344
- Infection Control (29%) – marginal value $1,131
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Pathology Technologist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Medical Technologist
- Laboratory Technologist
- Med Technologist
- Medical Technologist - Clinical Labs - Chemistry
- Senior Medical Technologist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Blood Bank Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Specialist
- Medical Laboratory Technologist
- Microbiology Medical Technologist
- Medical Technologist
- Pathology Laboratory Technician
- Clinical Laboratory Technician
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Pathology Technologist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Emory Healthcare (52)
- Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (44)
- Emory Corporation (36)
- Ohiohealth (29)
- Ochsner Health (26)
North Carolina
- Oneblood (1)
- Novant Health (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Fundamentals of Entomology Undergraduate Certificates
- Microbiology Undergraduate Certificates
- Textile Chemistry Master's Degrees
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.