11/03/2025
Why Mohs Technician Certification Matters
When selecting a Mohs surgeon, most patients focus on finding someone who is licensed, board-certified, and fellowship-trained—and rightly so. However, there’s another critical member of the surgical care team a patient may not think to ask about: the Mohs technician.
The Role of the Mohs Technician
After the surgeon removes a thin layer of tissue, the Mohs technician immediately processes that specimen in the lab. This involves embedding the tissue, freezing it in a machine called a cryostat, cutting it into extremely thin sections, mounting it on slides, and staining it for microscopic examination.
The quality of this work directly impacts the surgical outcome. If the tissue is not prepared correctly, it may appear as though all cancer cells have been removed when, in fact, some remain. This can lead to unnecessary additional stages or even incomplete removal of the cancer. On delicate areas such as the face, precision is especially important.
Training Standards: What Most Patients Don’t Know
Currently, there are no national certification requirements for Mohs technicians. In many practices, individuals receive only a few days of on-the-job training before handling real patient tissue.
By contrast, professionals who process biopsy tissue in hospital or pathology labs—known as histotechnologists—complete formal education, clinical training, and certification through organizations such as the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
Given that Mohs surgery involves real-time tissue evaluation, it is concerning that equivalent standards are not universally required. Unfortunately, many practices choose to train staff internally rather than employ certified histotechnologists, often as a cost-saving measure.
Our Commitment to Quality and Patient Safety
At Precision Mohs and Dermpath Consultants, we hold ourselves to the highest professional standards. All of our technicians are formally trained and certified histologists, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and patient safety during every procedure.
As a licensed and ASCP-certified histologist and Mohs technician, and as President of the Florida Society for Histotechnology, I am dedicated to advocating for national certification standards for Mohs technicians. Patients deserve the same level of expertise and accountability in the lab as they receive in the surgical suite.
If you have questions or would like to learn more about certified Mohs technicians or laboratory standards, please feel free to contact Precision Mohs and Dermpath Consultants. We are always here to support patients and providers in ensuring the highest level of dermatologic care.
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