How To Become a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist

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How Long Does It Take, What Degree Do You Need, and More

Medical Laboratory Technologists

Medical Laboratory Technologists perform complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. May train or supervise staff.

Salary
$55990
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality



What degree do you need

Recommended degree level

Bachelor’s Degree

We did a survey to ask other Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists what degree they had when they became a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist. Here are the results.
Bachelor’s Degree
59.36%


Associate’s Degree
30.1%


Master’s Degree
5.48%


One of the most common questions that we always get is what major or degree do I need to become Medical Laboratory Technologists or what courses do I need to take.

We also asked Medical Laboratory Technologists what did they major in college or university and here are the top 5 most popular majors that came up.

Cytotechnology
Clinical Laboratory Science
Histologic Technology or Histotechnologist
Cytogenetics, Genetics and Clinical Genetics Technology
Clinical or Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions

An entry-level job for Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist usually requires a bachelor’s degree in medical technology or life sciences.



How hard is it

Difficulty
Hard

You will need a considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge or experience to be a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist. For example, an accountant must complete 4 years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Careers in this difficulty category will usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. These careers usually involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Similar careers include sales managers, database administrators, chemists, and art directors.


Related work experience required
1 to 2 years

1 to 2 years
28.28%


None
24.83%


6 months to 1 year
18.63%


Job training
3 to 6 months

3 to 6 months
32.6%


1 to 3 months
31.86%


6 months to 1 year
15.06%



License and certifications

Do you need any license or certification
Requirements vary by state

Some states require laboratory personnel to be licensed or registered. To be licensed, Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists often needs a bachelor’s degree and must pass an exam. However, requirements vary by state and specialty. For specific requirements, contact state departments of health or boards of occupational licensing. Certification of medical laboratory technologists and technicians is required for licensure in some states and by some employers. Medical laboratory technologists and technicians can obtain a general certification as a medical laboratory technologist or technician, respectively, or a certification in a specialty, such as cytotechnology or medical biology. Most credentialing institutions require that technologists complete an accredited education program in order to qualify to sit for an examination. Although certification is not required to enter the occupation in all cases, employers typically prefer to hire certified technologists and technicians.


Skills required

We asked other Medical Laboratory Technologists if they could only have 5 skills, what would they be. Here is what they said.

1. Reading Comprehension what does this mean
2. Active Listening what does this mean
3. Critical Thinking what does this mean
4. Science what does this mean
5. Operation Monitoring what does this mean

= Hot in-demand that most employers are looking for


Knowledge required

Just like any other job, you will need certain know-hows to excel at your job. Medical Laboratory Technologists are generally very knowledgeable in these 5 key areas.

1. Medicine and Dentistry what does this mean
2. Biology what does this mean
3. Customer and Personal Service what does this mean
4. Chemistry what does this mean
5. English Language what does this mean


Learn more about Medical Laboratory Technologists

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Job Description
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Related to Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists Requirements

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