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Medical Laboratory Assistant

A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians or laboratory scientists or technologists, to perform waived testing procedures (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988), phlebotomy, and other duties in support of laboratory teams. Includes instruction in clinical procedures, various laboratory tests, laboratory mathematics, computer technology, equipment operation and maintenance, sterilization and safety, communications skills, and interpersonal skills.

Types of Degrees Medical Laboratory Assistant Majors Are Earning

Those studying Medical Laboratory Assistant have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	38
Associate’s Degree	318
Bachelor’s Degree	13
Master’s Degree	212

What Medical Laboratory Assistant Majors Need to Know

Studies in Medical Laboratory Assistant build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Medical Laboratory Assistant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Medical Laboratory Assistant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Chemistry — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Medical Laboratory Assistant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Medical Laboratory Assistant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Medical Laboratory Assistant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.8 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.8 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.7 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Medical Laboratory Assistant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Laboratory information system LIS	Medical software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Presentation software	Presentation software	—
Cerner Millennium	Medical software	—
Specimen labeling system software	Label making software	—
Brady Specimen Labeling System	Label making software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Medical Laboratory Assistant graduates include:

• Histotechnician
• Histologic Aide
• Certified Histologic Technician (Certified Histologic Tech)
• Histology Laboratory Aide
• Histology Lab Assistant (Histology Laboratory Assistant)
• Histologist
• Histology Technician (HT)
• Histology Assistant
• Histologic Technician (HT)
• Histology Consultant
• Histology Coordinator
• Clinical Histology Technician (Clinical Histology Tech)
• Mohs Technician (Mohs Tech)
• Medical Numerical Control Operator
• Clinical Laboratory Assistant (Clinical Lab Assistant)

What Can You Do With a Medical Laboratory Assistant Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Medical Laboratory Assistant commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Histology Technicians	-0.2%	$80,721	$64,080–$97,363
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	12.4%	$155,908	$123,571–$188,246
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Medical Laboratory Assistant graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	34.3%
Bachelor’s degree	16.3%
Master’s degree	9.5%
Postsecondary certificate	9.3%
Doctoral degree	7.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.5%
Some college courses	6.6%
Post-doctoral training	4.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.6%
First professional degree	2.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Medical Laboratory Assistant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 85.8% of Medical Laboratory Assistant degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	527	85.8%
Men	87	14.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Medical Laboratory Assistant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	144	23.5%
Asian	18	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino	339	55.2%
Black or African American	90	14.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.7%
Two or More Races	11	1.8%
Race Unknown	6	1.0%
International Students	2	0.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Medical Laboratory Assistant Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Medical Laboratory Assistant graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$27,434
4 years	$29,082
5 years	$32,352

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,352 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Medical Laboratory Assistant Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Medical Laboratory Assistant. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Medical Laboratory Assistant Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Medical Laboratory Assistant graduates earn a median of $29,082 four years after completion — about 23% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Medical/Clinical Assistant	52,819
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	7,541
Physical Therapy Assistant	5,633
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other	4,065
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician	3,329
Occupational Therapist Assistant	3,178
Radiologist Assistant	1,513
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions, Other	895
Respiratory Therapy Technician/Assistant	431
Anesthesiologist Assistant	423
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant	363

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.