Medical Laboratory Technologist Career Information
If you are fascinated by science and technology as they apply to healthcare, you may want to be an MLT!
What a Medical Laboratory Technologist does
Like other medical lab careers, demand for medical lab technicians is huge, according to the BLS and the ASCP. Over half of all medical laboratories in the U.S. are hiring!
Moreover, medical laboratory technician jobs offer an opportunity to have a significant impact on patient care, without actually interacting with patients. While people skills are important in any job, medical laboratory technician jobs do not require the level of interpersonal interaction or skills that other medical jobs require when direct patient care is involved.
A Medical Technologist is a person who exercises technical functions in medical laboratories. Medical Laboratory Technology also called Clinical laboratory science is an allied health profession which is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease through the use of clinical laboratory tests. These tests help doctors to detect, diagnose and treat diseases.
A Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) do these tests by analyzing body fluids, tissues, blood typing, microorganism screening, chemical analyses, cell counts of human body etc. They play an important role in collecting the information's needed, sampling, testing, reporting and documentation of these investigations. They determine the presence, extent or absence of disease and provide data needed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
Medical Laboratory Technologist work in five major areas of the laboratory ie, in Blood banking, Clinical Chemistry (chemical analysis of body fluids), Hematology (blood related), Immunology (study of immune system) and Microbiology (study of bacteria and other disease organisms).
Medical Laboratory Technologist also work in the areas of cytotechnology (study of human tissue), phlebotomy, urinalysis, coagulation, parasitology and serology. Phlebotomists draw and test blood where as Blood bank technologists determine correct blood types for transfusions. Histology technicians cut and stain tissue samples.
Medical Laboratory Technologists have more training and job responsibilities. They perform complex tests such as microscopic examinations of tissues, blood and other body fluids to detect evidence of disease and detect the presence of bacteria, fungi, parasites etc and chemical tests to determine blood cholesterol levels.
Medical Laboratory Technologist also match blood samples for transfusions and test drug levels in blood to determine how patients are responding to medications. They are often responsible for making sure that testing is done accurately. In some labs, technologists conduct research under the supervision of medical researchers.
Medical Laboratory Technologist do routine laboratory testing manually according to instructions. They work under Technologists or supervisors. Technicians may prepare specimens and operate machines that automatically analyze samples. In addition to running tests, technicians set up, clean, and maintain laboratory equipment, such as centrifuges, microscopes etc. They also prepare standard solutions for use in the lab. This involves measuring and mixing the correct amount of various chemicals.
Job Opportunities:
Rapid job growth and excellent job opportunities are expected. Most jobs will continue to be in hospitals, but employment will grow rapidly in other settings, as well. Employment of Medical Laboratory Technologists is expected to grow by 14 percent between 2008 and 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. The volume of laboratory tests continues to increase with both population growth and the development of new types of tests.
Technological advances will continue to have opposing effects on employment. On the one hand, new, increasingly powerful diagnostic tests and advances in genomics—the study of the genetic information of a cell or organism—will encourage additional testing and spur employment of Medical Laboratory Technologist.
On the other hand, research and development efforts targeted at simplifying and automating routine testing procedures may enhance the ability of nonlaboratory personnel—physicians and patients in particular—to perform tests now conducted in laboratories.
Although hospitals are expected to continue to be the major employer of Medical Laboratory Technologists, employment is expected also to grow rapidly in medical and diagnostic laboratories, offices of physicians, and all other ambulatory healthcare services.
While most Medical Laboratory Technologists work in hospitals, physicians' offices, and private laboratories, MLTs also find challenging employment in other areas. From industrial research and public health laboratories to forensic and pharmaceutical laboratories, the Medical Laboratory Technologist's analytical, scientific and technical skills are a valuable asset.
Other career options include: • Consulting
• Sales & Marketing
• Research & Product Development
• Laboratory Information Systems
• Supervision/Administration/Management
• Education
• Public Health/Infection Control
• Technical Support
• Quality Assurance/Total Quality Improvement
• Forensic Biological Sciences
Health care services are in demand twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Medical Laboratory Technologists often perform shift and weekend work to ensure patients get critical lab results.
Career Prospects:
The medical laboratory technicians are integral part of the medical profession. These professionals get involved in practical and technical work to aid correct diagnosis and in the effective functioning of Biochemical Laboratories.
The career prospects of a medical laboratory technician depend on the academic and technical skills of the technologist/technician. Initially they join any laboratory as a certified medical laboratory technician. These days with the growth in the private sector there are so many private hospitals, nursing homes, blood banks, pathology laboratories etc. the demand for laboratory technicians is on the up-swing.
With adequate knowledge and experience, Medical Laboratory Technologists can advance to supervisory or management positions in laboratories and hospitals.
Medical Laboratory Technicians can also work as Laboratory manager/Consultant/supervisor, healthcare Administrator, Hospital Outreach coordination, laboratory information system Analyst/Consultant, educational consultant / coordinator etc. Additional opportunities are available in molecular diagnostics, molecular biotechnology companies and in vitro fertilization laboratories as well as in research labs.
Abilities & Traits Required
Medical laboratory technicians perform and read complex tests which often require a high level of technological expertise. They also utilize keen analytical skills which are best honed through hands-on experience.
Qualifications
Medical Laboratory Technologist generally require a bachelor's degree in medical technology or in one of the life sciences; clinical laboratory technicians usually need an associate degree or a certificate.
Education and Training: The usual requirement for an entry-level position as a Medical Laboratory Technologist is a bachelor's degree with a major in medical technology or one of the life sciences; however, it is possible to qualify for some jobs with a combination of education and on-the-job and specialized training. Universities and hospitals offer medical technology programs.
Bachelor's degree programs in medical technology include courses in chemistry, biological sciences, microbiology, mathematics, and statistics, as well as specialized courses devoted to knowledge and skills used in the clinical laboratory. Many programs also offer or require courses in management, business, and computer applications. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act requires Medical Laboratory Technologists who perform highly complex tests to have at least an associate degree.
Medical and clinical laboratory technicians generally have either an associate degree from a community or junior college or a certificate from a hospital, a vocational or technical school, or the Armed Forces. A few Medical Laboratory Technologists learn their skills on the job.
To prepare for a career as a medical laboratory technician, it helps to start by “getting a solid foundation in high school sciences — biology, chemistry, math and computer science,” according to the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
After graduating from high school, successful completion of an associate’s degree is also required. (An associate’s degree consists of about two years of college coursework from a community college, technical or vocational school, or university.)
In addition to the associate’s degree, completion of an accredited training program for medical laboratory technicians is required.
If a Medical Laboratory Technologist goes on to obtain a bachelor’s degree, they can then advance to the medical technologist (MT) role with the "appropriate experience," according to the ASCP.
Salary
There are many variables affecting medical laboratory technician salaries, including location, experience, education and employment setting. For many professions, pursuing a higher level degree is the best way to land a job and boost your starting salary.
Measuring Medical Laboratory Technician Salaries by Degree, however, reveals that technicians with an associate degree actually earn some of the highest salaries.
Medical laboratory technicians perform and read complex tests which often require a high level of technological expertise. They also utilize keen analytical skills which are best honed through hands-on experience.
In fact, on-the-job experience may be more important than education in determining a medical laboratory technician's salary; the chart on Medical Laboratory Technician Salaries by Years Experience shows that the highest medical laboratory technician salaries go to those with the most experience.
The average starting salary of a medical laboratory technician ranges between Rs 15000 - 20000 per month in hospitals and in clinics. However, lab technologists get higher salary as compared to lab technicians.
The challenges and rewards of a Lab technician is high. Employment of clinical laboratory workers is expected to grow fast. The salary ranges from Rs 15000- 20000 per month in hospitals and in clinics.