Cytotechnologists

After completing college (and, ideally, an internship), cytotechnologists receive their training in health care settings.

If you wish to enter the field of cytotechnology, you should be detail-oriented, a good observer, and decisive. You should enjoy working alone, but you must also have the ability to work as a team member. It is essential that you are able to follow directions and have the ability to concentrate. Good writing, reporting, and organizational skills are also important. You also need good analytical skills to evaluate laboratory specimens under a microscope and determine whether they are normal, pre-cancerous or malignant. Cytotechnologists are often expected to sit at a stationary laboratory bench for long periods of time.