MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST JOBS - MED TECH POSITIONS - MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

What is a "medical technologist" and what do they do?

Medical technologists performs laboratory tests—from pre-marital blood tests, to complex tests to uncover diseases such as AIDS, diabetes, and cancer. The medical technologist is also responsible for confirming the accuracy of test results and reporting laboratory findings to the pathologist and other doctors.

Medical technologists work in five major areas of the laboratory: Blood banking, Chemistry, Hematology, Immunology and Microbiology.

Medical Technologist Job Ratings
According to the best-selling 1999 book, Jobs Rated Almanac: The Best and Worst Jobs by Les Krantz, medical technologists are in the top 20 list of best jobs. Medical technologists ranked 16 in a list of 250 jobs. They also ranked third in the healthcare/medicine occupational category. The positions were scored on factors such as salary, stress levels, work environment, outlook, security and physical demands.

Medical Technologist Job Opportunities
Medical technologists have unlimited choices of practice settings. Hospitals, independent laboratories, clinics, public health facilities, and industry all currently have positions open for qualified medical technologists. Additional opportunities are available in molecular diagnostics, molecular biotechnology companies and in vitro fertilization laboratories as well as in research labs.

Medical Technologist Salaries
The national average salary for medical technologists is approximately $40,200, although salaries vary by area of the country. Experienced supervisors' and managers' average salaries range from $59,200 to $63,000.

To prepare for a career in medical technology, you should have a solid foundation in high school sciences — biology, chemistry, math and computer science. You’ll also need a combination of formal education (baccalaureate degree) plus clinical education in a medical technology program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). There are a variety of programs from which to choose. Many colleges and universities offer a degree in Medical Technology or Clinical Laboratory Science.

Your education in medical technology will prepare you directly for a job in a wide variety of laboratory settings. You have many choices in pursuing a career in medical technology. While you’re going to school, you can work part-time in a laboratory to earn extra money. And you could start working full-time the day after you graduate.

Medical Technologist Certification
To be sure that laboratory workers are competent and able to perform high quality laboratory tests, the Board of Registry of the American Society for Clinical Pathology gives a national certification exam. Students take this exam after meeting their academic and laboratory education requirements. Those who pass the exam in medical technology may use the initials, MT(ASCP), after their name to show they are proficient in their field.

Opportunities to specialize
A medical technologist who gains experience in one of the special areas of the laboratory has the opportunity to advance to a specialist level. In today’s laboratories, areas of scientific exploration are the immune system, cell marker technology, bioengineering and cancer research. In the clinical areas, drug testing, therapeutic drug monitoring and biogenetics are just a few of the specialties with openings. In industry, medical technologists are needed for positions in product development, marketing, sales, quality assurance, environmental health and insurance, among others.

Learn more about becoming a medical technologist
Educational requirements/certification requirements:
Contact the ASCP Board of Registry
P.O. Box 12277, Chicago, IL 60612-0277
Phone: 800-621-4142, ext. 1345
In Illinois, 312-738-4890, ext. 1345
Fax: 312-738-5808
Email: bor@ascp.org
On-line: www.ascp.org/bor