Also called: CT(ASCP)
Examines cells under a microscope to spot cancer and pre-cancer, like on Pap tests.
Spends the day at a microscope scanning slides of cells, marking the ones that look abnormal for the pathologist. Some assist doctors at the bedside when they take needle biopsies.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Bachelor's plus a cytotechnology program and ASCP certification.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Cytotechnology, Biology.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI slide-screening and HPV-first testing are cutting routine Pap review, so openings shrink; complex cases and biopsies stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, Chemistry, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.