As one of the strongest jobs in medical field a Medical Lab Technician primarily performs diagnostic analyses on body fluids such as blood, urine, stool, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), pericardial fluid and synovial fluid amongst other specimens. These tests will usually be carried out in clinical laboratories at hospitals but may also be found in doctors offices, reference labs and biotechnology labs. The work will involve chemistry, haematology, immunology and microbiology to aid in anything from simple prenatal blood tests to more complex tests to discover diseases such as HIV / AIDS, diabetes or cancer. The Medical Lab Technician will also be responsible for confirming the accuracy of the test results and completing a report of the laboratories findings. With this information Doctors and medical staff will be able to administer the correct treatment for the patient.
Training for this position would entail completing a two year associates degree from a post-secondary institution that offers training in this field. Once you have completed the training and received your degree you will be able to pursue certification with American Medical Technologists (AMT) which will require you to write and pass an exam.
Medical Lab Technicians will mostly start out work in a laboratory or in an acute care or community hospital until you have gained the necessary experience in your selected field. Along with your general work you may also be able to specialize in a particular area for instance chemistry, haematology, cytotechnology, immunology, virology, blood banking or microbiology. Many of the tasks you will perform on a daily basis will be under the supervision of a medical technologist or physician to perform tests on tissue, blood and body fluids to help the physicians to competently diagnose and treat diseases.
According to a survey in 2010, the Medical Lab Technician can have great earning potential with most averaging between $37,100 and $45,300 per year, the top earners in this field were on salaries around $49,400. The U.S Bureau of Labour Statistics have predicted an excellent job forecast over the upcoming years with most opportunities situated in hospitals like with all the Kaiser Permanente jobs on offer right now but branching out into other settings just as rapidly.
With such good pay structures and working conditions in this environment it becomes a very exciting job prospect especially when the outlook for the near future is so good. You will also find the job very rewarding and you can even specialize in one particular field.
Tags: medical assistant, Medical Lab Technician, Medical jobs