Medical Laboratory Technician

Medical Laboratory Technician - Insight Into The Career

Have you ever thought of who works the hardest in the medical field when there is a disease outbreak like swine flu? The medical laboratory technician. You never really pay much attention to them because they mostly work behind the scenes. But for a doctor to properly diagnose the patient's condition, he turns to the clinical laboratory for answers. And it's the job of a lab technician to get those answers for him.

What Does A Medical Laboratory Technician Do?

A clinical technician handles blood, tissue and bodily fluids. From these samples, you are able to determine the presence or absence of disease, and the kind of pathogens or bacteria that is causing these abnormalities to guide a doctor in prescribing the proper treatment or medical procedure necessary to address the health problem.

If you had a less than competent professional working the lab, there is always the risk of making the wrong diagnosis, which could be fatal for a patient. So a medical laboratory technician may just be in the background, but he plays a very crucial role. Even the presence of sophisticated equipment to perform the analysis can't replace him in the job.

Before proceeding to search for laboratory technician schools or a medical laboratory training program, be very clear what it is you're aiming for. A clinical laboratory is staffed by a pathologist, a medical technologist and a clinical technician. In the grand scheme of things, you're at the bottom of the food chain, but a vital part nevertheless.

Of these professionals, the medical technician requires the least time to prepare for the job. And while a technician career may not have very far to go, it is a good stepping stone for other careers in the health care field.

Are You Medical Laboratory Technician Material?

Three Criteria

There are three very important things you need if you want to pursue a medical technician career. If you possess all three of them and more, then the medical industry is waiting for you.

• First is a love for sciences, in particular chemistry and biology. That's the foundation of this field. Pathology is an exact science and it has no room for mistakes. If you can't handle science, then forget working in a clinical laboratory. You need to understand blood, tissues and cells and what makes up these components of the body. Otherwise, you do not want to put patients at risk.

• Second, you can troubleshoot if things go wrong at the lab. Yes, specimen analysis is usually done using big machines, so advanced they can spew results to the thousandth of a gram. But these equipment aren't always right and you've got to be able to catch when something is off and needs to be rechecked or investigated further. This means you pay attention to detail. And are a stickler for organization.

• Third, you have the ability to work individually, yet within a group and won't mind never getting recognized for your work. If part of your job is to collect the samples for testing, then you have patient contact and may get a thanks or two for a painless venipuncture. Otherwise, patients don't really remember you or what you've done to make them better.

In the lab, you're assigned specific responsibilities. Depending on the size of your work place, you can either be in charge of one or two things, or be multitasking especially when the demand for your services is high, such as in an emergency or during a health crisis. So you need the ability to function efficiently on your own or work with a team when necessary to get the job done pronto.

Other Factors

There are other criteria needed to be a good medical laboratory technician, like having a genuine desire to help people get better, and being able to withstand long hours on your feet as well as not minding shift work. Big labs are usually open 24/7 so working nights, weekends and holidays is very common. If you think you can handle these, then let's begin finding the school for you.

What Education Do I Need?

Certificate and Degree

All a medical technician needs to be ready for the workplace is a two-year associate degree or completion of certificate courses. If you're looking at a four year medical technology degree, then you want to be a medical laboratory technologist, which has more responsibilities at work and can hold supervisory or managerial positions. A technician can too, but you'll need to study further and earn credentials.

Some laboratory technicians hold certificates for specific functions like a phlebotomist (collects blood) or a histotechnician (analyzes tissues). Your medical laboratory technician programs can provide you with these skills as well, especially if you take up the two-year program.

Certification and License

Passing the certification exam and acquiring a license are prerequisites before you can use your skills as a medical laboratory technician. If you are getting formal education, be sure your chosen program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Services. This way, you will qualify to sit for testing given by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and the American Medical Technologists (AMT).

The ASCP Board of Certification will grant you the medical laboratory technician or MLT credential upon passing their test. The AMT gives the medical lab technician (MLT) credential. You have another option aside from attending school. Some hospitals offer programs for clinical technicians, as do vocational or technical training schools. If you've been trained in the military you may likewise take your certification exam to get credentialed and licensed.

Chemistry, microbiology and math are among the courses that make up the medical laboratory tech curriculum. If you can get advance classes on these subjects even while in high school then it will be to your advantage once you begin formal training. Another track is to take up a few college credits in these subjects, which even if not credited, will still have given you a boost.

How's The Job Market For A MLT?

Job Outlook and Salary

There is a reported shortage in qualified medical technicians and medical assistant, especially in hospitals and clinical laboratories. There is too little attention given to the profession so people are not aware of how vital a role they play in health care. Licensing requirements of states vary and some graduates are unable to comply with them. The salaries, too, are not as attractive compared to say, nursing. And medical laboratory technician programs can be quite expensive, which is not encouraging if the pay won't be enough to pay off loans and live a comfortable life.

The medical laboratory technician salary ranges from $36,000 to $74,000. On the average, the salary is $53,500 annually. As with all professions, the work setting, location, education and experience are factors that determine how much you can make on the job. And while medical facilities and clinical laboratories are the usual employers, there are other opportunities that are open to people with these skills like organ and blood banks, educational institutions, environmental groups and research organizations.

AMT reported 319,000 medical laboratory technicians employed around the country in 2008. This is expected to continuing growing to 14 percent until 2018. If you're a phlebotomist, you can be making between $12.50 to $13 per hour, while a histotechnician makes around $20 to $21. A general medical technician earns $16.90 to $18.50.

Here's the thing: remember the job can be a jump off point for better paying careers. You can study and become a medical technologist or go into research and teaching. But don't forget that even as a medical laboratory technician you already do your share in helping people get better.

Medical Laboratory Technologist >