Medical Laboratory Technology
As an MLT you work with test tubes, microscopes, pipettes, flasks, and sophisticated, computerized instruments that are tools of modern laboratory testing.
You trace diseases in samples of tissue and body fluids, explore the mysterious patterns of micro-organisms and observe the strength of various antibiotics in destroying them, type and cross-match blood for transfusions, identify cellular components and hematologic factors of blood, measure changes in color and substance that occur in chemical testing, and perform many other analyses that reveal the causes and nature of disease.
You work in laboratories for hospitals, clinics, governmental agencies, health departments, pharmaceutical firms, and medical research foundations under the supervision of a medical technologist.
Medical Laboratory Technicians must be accurate, dedicated and skilled. They must also be self-motivated, to take initiative to do what must be done everyday - to be a part of the health-care team.
Job Opportunities
Today, there are more jobs for laboratory personnel than educated people to fill those jobs. More laboratories are being operated; more new drugs are being used; more chemical and physical tests are being developed, as the medical profession relies increasingly more on the laboratory for assistance. The future long-term employment looks bright -- well into the next century. The need for Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists is great everywhere throughout the country.
Career Preparation
To prepare for a career as a medical laboratory technician, you should have a solid foundation in high school sciences -- biology, chemistry, math and computer science.
With a career as a medical laboratory technician, you'll have unlimited choices. Unlike many other careers, your education in medical laboratory technology will prepare you directly for a job in:
Clinic or Hospital Laboratories
Clinical Chemistry
Microbiology
Mycobacteriology
Molecular Biology
Biotechnology
Veterinary Clinic
Public Health |
Education
Hematology
Parasitology
Mycology
Forensics
Transplant Immunology
Reference Lab
Physician Office
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Sales/Marketing
Microsopy
Immunohernatology
Immunology
Research
Pharmaceuticals
Industrial Labs
Independent Labs |
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.
This program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS): 8410 West Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 670, Chicago, IL 60631-3415. Phone: (713) 714-8800, E-mail: info@naacls.org and approved by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Opportunities for Advancement
The MLT program is career-laddered to becoming a Medical Technologist (MT). Three years of work experence as an MLT plus a baccalaureate degree provides eligibility to take the MT Board of Registry without going through a MT program. You can become a physician, chemist, physician assistant, microbiologist, or an educator in medical technology.
The Clinical Laboratory
The practice of modern medicine would be impossible without the tests performed in the clinical laboratory. A medical team of pathologists, specialists, technologists, and technicians work together to determine the presence, extent, or absence of disease and provide data needed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
Laboratory procedures require an array of complex precision instruments and a variety of automated and electronic equipment. However, men and women interested in helping others are the foundation of a successful laboratory. They must be accurate, reliable, have an interest in science and be able to recognize their responsibility for human lives.
Laboratory roles are based on a career ladder of academic and technical components. Individuals interested in a medical laboratory career may direct their goals to one of many levels of education. Laboratory personnel may advance by acquiring additional education and/or technical experience, beginning with the medical laboratory technician program and progressing to a technologist or a specialist.
Critical to high-quality health care is the assurance that individuals performing laboratory tests are able to carry out their responsibilities in a proficient manner.
Certification through a National board of Registry provides a mechanism for the individual to be recognized as having the necessary competence to perform the medical laboratory roles they seek.
Certification is the process by which a non-governmental agency or association grants recognition of competence to an individual who has met certain predetermined qualifications, as specified by the agency or association.
Certification affirms that an individual has demonstrated that he/she possesses the knowledge to perform essential tasks in the medical laboratory. The Board of Registry certifies individuals upon completion of academic prerequisites, clinical laboratory education or experience, and successful performance on an examination.
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