Are you finishing high school and wondering what career is right for you? Are you bored with your current dead-end work situation? Are you looking for something exciting and different every day? Well, then you might want to look into a career as a medical and clinical lab technician.
What does a medical and clinical laboratory technician do?
Medical lab techs compare blood compatibility for blood transfusions and perform blood counts. They also, analyze blood, urine, and other body fluids, as well as tissues, using a microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities and disease, and then enter the results into a computer. Analyze and record test data to prepare results to be read and interpreted by other medical personnel. Inoculate fertilized eggs, broths, or other bacteriological media with organisms. Examine cells for abnormalities. Techs will consult with a pathologist to determine a diagnosis when abnormalities are present. In addition, techs will collect blood and tissue samples from patients, set up, maintain, clean, calibrate, test the sterility of medical lab equipment and maintain laboratory records. Med techs will usually work under the supervision of a medical lab technologist, pathologist, or medical lab manager.
What tools are medical and clinical lab techs trained to use?
A med tech uses many different tools to carry out their work. Some of these are coagulation analyzers, hematology analyzers, chemistry analyzers, phlebotomy trays or accessories, vacuum blood collection tubes or containers. Some of the software that techs are trained to be fluent in include accounting and billing software, data base user interface and query software, spreadsheet software, word processing software, and medical software such as, microscopic image capturing software, specimen tracking software, and lab information system software.
What are some of the skills a medical and clinical lab tech needs to develop?
A med and clinical lab tech needs to have good reading comprehension, speaking skills, instruction skills, time management skills, and active listening and learning skills. Techs also need to be able to make good judgment calls and be careful about details, as their actions can potentially change the results to different tests. This job requires techs to be honest and ethical, reliable, responsible, and dependable. A tech may, at times, have to work in high stress situations, so techs have to be able to remain calm and keep their composure. Also, med techs have to be adaptable and flexible.
What are the educational requirements for a medical and clinical lab technician?
Med Techs receive an associate’s degree usually from a junior college or vocational school. Some can receive their training from a teaching hospital or the Armed Forces. Some can even receive their training with on the job experience combined with some education. What is the average technician salary for a lab tech? With proper schooling and job placement the average lab technician salary can range between $30,000 and $70,000 per year.