What does a medical lab technician do?
A medical lab technician has many duties that require a comprehensive educational background. This job combines medicine and several different fields of science. A medical laboratory technician performs many kinds of lab tests in diverse areas such as: immunology, microbiology, chemistry, blood banking and hematology. Medical laboratory technicians are constantly in the lead and need, when it comes to researching disease–its absence, cause and presence.
To become a medical lab technician you must be skilled, conscientious, dedicated and accurate. In addition, you must be self-motivated and have the desire to be a problem solver, dedicated to helping mankind and being responsible with the high demands of the job.
Most medical lab technicians work in hospitals, labs, nursing homes and public health facilities.
The education requirements of a medical lab technician begin in high school. It is advised that if you want to enter this field, you must be very interested in biology, math, computer science and chemistry. After high school, you will need to complete a formal education and clinical education in a medical laboratory technician program; one that is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
When you complete the educational requirements necessary for this job, The Board of Registry of the American Society for Clinical Pathology gives a national certification exam, for which you must complete and pass. What this certification means for the technician is that he or she is qualified and able to perform laboratory tests that are of high quality and meet expected standards. In addition, once a person has this certification, he or she is allowed to use the initials–MT–after their name. This will, of course, show their proficiency and capabilities as a medical lab technician.
My son is looking into this field as well. Check out the info below. Good luck. Significant Points Faster than average employment growth and excellent job opportunities are expected. Clinical laboratory technologists usually have a bachelor’s degree with a major in medical technology or in one of the life sciences; clinical laboratory technicians generally need either an associate degree or a certificate. Most jobs will continue to be in hospitals, but employment will grow faster in other settings. Nature of the Work [About this section] Back to Top Clinical laboratory testing plays a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Clinical laboratory technologists—also referred to as clinical laboratory scientists or medical technologists—and clinical laboratory technicians, also known as medical technicians or medical laboratory technicians, perform most of these tests. Clinical laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids, and cells. They look for bacteri
