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Ten Tips on How to Become a Medical Lab Technician |
Looking for ways you could become a medical lab technician, here are ten of them.
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Medical laboratory technologists serve as a member of the health care team, performing laboratory work related to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. They analyze samples of blood, urine, feces, sputum and tissues, and have a lot of interaction with patients. Medical laboratory technologists work in an interesting and ever-changing environment, using high-tech equipment to analyze samples and produce information to assist other health care professionals.
The job combines the use of techniques and scientific training to perform complex procedures on tissue specimens, blood samples and other body fluids. The tests and procedures that medical lab techs do provides doctors with the information they need to treat a patient's condition. Here are some tips on how to become a medical lab technician.
1. Get some exposure to the job. Ask if you can observe a medical technician do her job for a few days, or find a part time job in a clinic or hospital. As a medical laboratory technician, you will be interacting with people and handling all sorts of body fluids and specimens. Get some exposure to make sure you are up to the task.
2. In high school, concentrate on math and science courses and take a college prep track.
3. Consider working as a phlebotomist. You can usually become a phlebotomist by taking a very short technical course, and it will give you some actual exposure to the job.
4. Apply to medical technician schools. Usually, this will be a community or junior college, and you will earn a two-year associate degree.
5. Seek financing for your education. Fill out a FAFSA (Federal Application for Financial Student Aid) and look for scholarships, grants and other financing options.
6. Take prerequisite classes while you are waiting for acceptance into medical technician school.
7. Learn to work quickly and accurately in everything you do. These are essential skills for a laboratory technician.
8. Learn to follow procedures carefully and to keep detailed records.
9. Once you complete medical technician school, pursue licensure and certification. The requirements for licensure vary from state to state. Certification usually means you are recognized as competent by fellow professionals.
10. Consider going back to school and becoming a medical technologist. A medical technologist has more scientific training, and his work is more focused on the scientific and laboratory aspect of the job.
The job requires intelligence, attention to detail and a love of following procedures – as a medical laboratory technician, your typical day could include monitoring tests or preparing blood, urine and tissue specimens for analysis, looking for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms, matching blood for transfusions and other procedures. Medical lab technicians can specialize in a number of laboratory sciences, including chemistry, hematology, immunology, virology, or microbiology.
It’s imperative that the work be extremely accurate, and done in a timely manner, making the job perfect for people with a perfectionist bent. If that sounds like you, perhaps you should consider training for a job as a medical laboratory technician. While most medical laboratory technicians work in hospitals, doctors’ offices and private labs, they also find jobs in industrial research and public health laboratories, and in forensic and pharmaceutical laboratories where their skills are needed.
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