Becoming a Lab technician?
Asked by Michelle
How would I go about becoming a lab technician? I would like to work in a hospital, testing body samples for bacteria and other sources of problems. I loved microbiology when I took it, which leads to my interest in a lab. But I am not sure how to do that, is there a technical school or certification program involoved?

Best Answer:
There are actually different levels of what many people call "lab technicians." Laboratory technicians or assistants have a high school education and maybe some college, medical laboratory technicians generally have an associates degree and medical technologists hold at least a bachelor's degree. Sometimes these positions, through misunderstanding, are lumped together and referred to as "lab techs" by those outside of the laboratory. Medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians are the personnel that actually perform laboratory testing. Medical technologists (MTs), also known as clinical laboratory scientists, develop and perform high complexity laboratory testing and may also act as supervisors and managers. Considering the national shortage of medical laboratory personnel, this is a great direction to take if you have an aptitude for the biological sciences. In addition to a BS degree in medical technology or one of the biological sciences, medical technologists must also obtain the MT (ASCP) certifcation through the American Society for Clinical Pathology; in some states, licensure is also required. The best way to prepare for the certification exam is to complete an internship in medical technology/clinical laboratory science through a hospital based NAACLS accredited medical technologist program. To prepare students, these programs offer a combination of hands on experience in the clinical laboratory with lectures in hematology, clinical chemistry, bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, immunohematology (blood bank), immunology, urinalysis, coagulation, and sometimes genetics. Once a certified medical technologist, you can choose to remain a generalist and float between multiple areas/disciplines or specialize in a single department (e.g., microbiology). If you're unable to spend 4-5 years in school, then the medical laboratory technician (MLT) route is another option, it leads to an associates degree (you can usually pursue this route through a local community college). I hope this answers your questions. For more information check out the link below to the MT (ASCP) qualification routes.
Medical Technologist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist, MT (ASCP) http://www.ascp.org/FunctionalNavigation/certification/GetCertified/TechnologistCertification.aspx
Answered by Nightsaber