medical career choices.?
Asked by emilee
Im starting college this fall w/ an undecided major. I currently work as a laboratory assistant and I would like to stay in the health care field. Im not sure if i would like to be heavily involved with patient contact as i also work in the outpatient lab and i dont really care for it. I want to do something that is a 4 year or more degree. and i would like to make a good amount of money a year. What are some majors and careers that i could look into?

Best Answer:
Have you looked into a career as a medical technologist (clinical laboratory scientist)? As a lab assistant you should be somewhat familiar with the nature of the work and stress level. MTs/CLSs have a BS degree in medical technology (or one of the life sciences) and are also certified by either the ASCP or NCA. Usually a one year clinical internship is completed during the senior year or post-baccalaureate in preparation for the certification exam. MTs/CLSs make between $40K and $60K annually. They typically don't deal with patients directly but still greatly impact patient care. The results produced by the clinical laboratory as a whole are responsible for 70-80% of medical decisions and most would consider laboratory careers less stressful than those involving direct patient care, but this comes at a cost. The efforts of the clinical laboratory often go unrecognized because it is behind closed doors and laboratory professionals often don't pull in quite as much money as those who work in more visible fields that require the same level of education or less that do involve direct patient contact, such as nursing. All in all, medical technology/clinical laboratory science is a great career choice for someone with an aptitude for the biological and medical sciences and who also enjoys puzzle solving or investigative work. Pharmacy is another career option that requires 4 years or more of preparation (usually about 6 years for a pharmD) and involves little or no patient contact. Pharmacists make between $85K and $120K annually but the work can be very routine and may require standing for 8 -12 hours or more.
Medical Technologist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist, MT (ASCP)
Answered by Nightsaber