What is a Medical Laboratory Technician?
If you've ever been to the doctor, chances are you have had tests run in order to check for diseases or abnormalities. The doctor orders the test, but who carries it out? Medical laboratory technicians assist physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases by performing tests on tissue, blood, and other body fluids. These tests could help identify infections, blood abnormalities, immune dysfunctions, and a wide variety of other medical conditions. Medical lab technicians most commonly work in hospitals or doctors' offices.
This career field typically requires an associate's degree, and certification might be needed.
What Does a Medical Lab Technician Do?
What does a lab tech do? Medical laboratory technicians play an important role in the prevention and diagnosis of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and AIDS. By testing patient samples for abnormalities, they can reveal important information that a doctor can use to care for a patient. Medical lab technicians work under the supervision of a physician, lab manager, or medical technologist and perform laboratory tests on specimens like blood samples or tissue biopsies.
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The tests that lab techs conduct assist doctors in verifying the causes of an illness, making medical decisions, and determining treatment options.
Job Duties
Medical lab technicians set up and sanitize laboratories, prepare specimens, match blood compatibility for transfusions, analyze fluid chemical content, collect blood samples, and examine immune system elements. Technicians are expected to handle sophisticated laboratory equipment, including cell counters, microscopes, and automated analyzers. These devices are used to search for parasites, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Medical laboratory technicians carry out less complicated procedures and tests than do medical laboratory technologists.
Specialty Areas
In addition to working as a general medical lab tech, you can also choose to specialize in a certain field of medicine. This would allow you to become an expert on a specific type of laboratory test. Some of the areas in which medical lab technicians may specialize include:
- Microbiology: Microbiology is the study of small organisms like viruses or bacteria. Medical lab techs working in microbiology will perform tests to help identify a species of virus, bacteria, or fungi that a patient is infected with.
- Hematology: Hematology is the field of medicine that diagnoses and treats diseases of the blood. Medical lab technicians working in hematology labs will analyze blood samples to detect abnormalities.
- Blood banking: Medical lab technicians working in blood banking help collect blood that has been donated, determine its type and test it for diseases, and then dispense it as needed by physicians.
- Immunology: Immunology is the field of medicine concerned with the immune system, and immunology lab techs carry out diagnostic tests in order to assess the function of a patient's immune system.
- Clinical chemistry: In applying chemistry to a clinical context, medical lab techs will perform tests to analyze biochemical dysfunctions or diseases that result in altered metabolism.
- Molecular biology: In this speciality, medical lab technicians can sequence a patient's DNA to detect genetic diseases or assess the genotype of the cancer cells within a tumor, which can help doctors determine the best way to treat the cancer.
- Cytotechnology: Cytotechnology involves karyotyping, or looking at a patient's chromosomes to detect large-scale structural abnormalities in their DNA. Medical lab techs in this specialty will help prepare and stain cells to undergo karyotyping.
Where Do Medical Lab Technicians Work?
Most medical lab technicians can be found working in hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, or physicians' offices. Other employment options for medical lab technicians are available with blood and organ banks, medical equipment sales companies, research facilities, clinics, and public health organizations, as well as pharmaceutical and reference laboratories.
Their workplaces are clean, sanitized, and well lit. They must wear protective clothing including lab coats, masks, goggles, and gloves when handling equipment or specimens. Because medical laboratory tests may need to be run urgently in the case of a medical emergency, they can work odd shifts throughout the day and be on call in case of emergency.
Required Traits for Medical Laboratory Technicians
Medical lab technicians require several very important traits in order to succeed at their job. Because the lab results they produce can determine a patient's diagnosis and treatment, it is essential that all tests are performed carefully and accurately. Here are some traits that a medical laboratory technician will need:
- Responsibility: Lab technicians must be responsible for overseeing and carrying out lab tests on patient samples that they are provided. They must also safely utilize sophisticated and expensive laboratory equipment.
- Detail Orientation: Running lab tests can be tedious, but small details in the test implementation can alter its outcome. Therefore, lab technicians must be able to focus on small details as they perform a test.
- Effective Communication: Medical lab techs need to communicate test results to physicians who ordered them. They must also coordinate with providers to prioritize certain tests. Effective communication is essential for carrying out these roles.
- Organization: In order to carry out a large volume of medical tests in a relatively short amount of time, medical lab technicians must be organized.
- Adaptability: The field of medicine is constantly evolving, and new technologies enable more efficient testing protocols for certain diseases. As a lab tech, you will need to adapt to new technologies and learn how to perform new types of tests as they become available.
Required Skills for Medical Laboratory Technicians
In order to work as a medical lab technician, you must have skills that allow you to perform laboratory tests safely and effectively. One important skill is familiarity with laboratory safety protocols. These often include wearing gloves and protective equipment when working with bodily fluids. You will be trained on these safety protocols on the job or during your studies to become a medical lab tech. In addition to safety, you must be able to perform the laboratory protocols required. Skills necessary to do this may include working with bacteria and viruses (if you are a microbiology tech), preparing slides and looking at samples under a microscope, pipetting and centrifuging liquid samples like blood, and many more.
What Training do Medical Lab Technicians Need?
Medical lab technicians are generally required to have a certificate or an associate's degree from an accredited school. Topics covered as part of a medical lab technician training program may include human anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, medical laboratory techniques, applied immunology, blood coagulation, and urinalysis. In some cases, they may need licensing based on state requirements. Medical lab technicians may advance to become medical lab technologists with additional experience and training. Prospective technologists need to earn a bachelor's degree in medical technology.
What is the Job Outlook & Salary for Medical Lab Techs?
In November 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported an annual median salary of $53,120 for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians. The BLS predicted 7% employment growth for these technicians from 2019-2029, which is much faster than average.
To review, medical lab technicians perform tests that help physicians diagnose and treat diseases. A certificate or associate's degree is typically needed to start in the field, while a bachelor's degree could lead to an advanced position as a medical lab technologist.
