What a Mohs technician does
A Mohs technician prepares the frozen slides a Mohs surgeon reads between stages of surgery. The surgeon removes a thin layer of skin cancer; the tech turns it into slides; the surgeon checks every edge and removes more only where cancer remains.
The work, stage by stage
- Receive the tissue with its orientation marks, so every slide maps back to the patient.
- Embed and freeze the tissue so its edges lie flat for cutting.
- Cut sections a few microns thin on a cryostat and place them on slides.
- Stain and coverslip, usually with H&E (some labs use toluidine blue).
- Hand the slides to the surgeon, then reset for the next stage or patient.
Grossing, mapping and inking (orienting and marking the tissue before processing) count as part of the examination under federal lab rules, so they're done by staff with college science credits, or by the surgeon.
A typical day
Mohs days follow the surgery schedule: several patients, each with one or more stages. Between cases the tech keeps the cryostat, stainer and lab clean, logged and ready. Mohs Pros techs often work in different practices across the week, with drive time between labs paid.
Similar roles, different jobs
| Role | Where | Main work |
|---|---|---|
| Mohs technician | Mohs lab | Fast frozen sections during surgery |
| Histotechnician | Hospital or reference lab | Paraffin processing, routine and special stains |
| Mohs surgical / medical assistant | Procedure room | Helping the surgeon and the patient |
More detail: Mohs technician vs histotechnician.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Mohs technician do?
- A Mohs technician prepares frozen tissue slides during Mohs surgery: embedding the tissue, cutting thin sections on a cryostat, staining and coverslipping, so the surgeon can check the edges of each layer for cancer.
- Is a Mohs tech a histotechnician?
- Yes, a specialized one. Mohs techs focus on fast frozen sections during surgery, while general histotechs also process paraffin tissue and run special stains.
- Where do Mohs techs work?
- In Mohs surgery labs, usually inside dermatology practices. Mohs Pros techs work across many practices rather than one.
Ready to start?
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