Medical Laboratory Technician Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides complete information on the medical laboratory technician job description and career, to help you learn the duties and responsibilities they perform.

It also shows how to become a medical laboratory technician, the requirements you need to meet to be hired for the role, and the various careers you can get into with a medical laboratory technician work experience.

Please, continue reading:

What Does a Medical Laboratory Technician Do?

The medical laboratory technician job description entails assessing, diagnosing, and treating, and following-up on patients.

It also involves performing lab tests, such as urinalysis, blood typing, and cell counts; cytology and culture tests.

Medical laboratory technicians are also responsible for compiling results of tests to provide information to physicians for the treatment of patients.

They process samples for testing through the use of a microscope, analyzer, or other medical devices.

The medical laboratory technician’s role also involves measuring results and analyzing the data from tests that have been performed on tissue samples.

It also includes observing test results and attempting to draw conclusions based on the findings.

It is the duty of the medical laboratory technician to write reports about test results and make recommendations for further testing or treatment to the patient’s physician or other health care professionals when warranted.

Another duty of the medical laboratory technician is performing lab procedures, such as preparing blood samples.

They also perform chemical analysis, extracting DNA, and performing cytology.

Medical laboratory technicians may be involved with life science research, clinical trials, or other types of research on various aspects of the lab work that they perform.

They perform varieties of tasks, such as processing samples, making observations, and recording data.

Furthermore, the medical laboratory technician may also be responsible for cleaning and sterilizing equipment.

And also for maintaining logs, managing inventory, and ensuring accuracy of the work performed.

More on Medical Laboratory Technician Job Description

They may serve as a member of an on-call team during emergencies or other situations where their services are needed.

Participating in education and outreach to other health care providers in the area of lab testing is another task of medical laboratory technicians.

Medical laboratory technicians may also be required to teach students or others who are interested in medical fields, such as medical assisting or nursing.

They may also conduct research on topics related to their field of study.

It is the duty of the medical laboratory technician to ensure the maintenance of equipment and appliances.

They ensure confidentiality and security to protect patient’s privacy and bodily integrity.

A medical laboratory technician ascertains that the records and reports are accurate.

Medical Laboratory Technician Job Description Sample/Example/Template

Here are key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that make up the job description of a medical laboratory technician:

• Prepare specimens for analysis
• Record test results and other data
• Operate laboratory instruments
• Prepare reagents, solutions, and media for laboratory tests
• Gather patient information to conduct tests on patients, such as age and sex; organ problems; diseases acquired or inherited; level of physical activity
• Check if any drugs or alcohol are present in the blood sample
• May request additional specimens if initial examination is inconclusive
• Interpret test results and report findings to doctors or nurses
• Give immunizations to patients using approved vaccines
• Prepare equipment and work areas before tests are performed; keep work area clean and free of contaminants, such as broken glass or spilled chemicals
• May train and work under supervision of a professional medical technologist.

Medical Laboratory Technician Job Description for Resume

If you are making a new resume or CV as someone with some work experience as a medical laboratory technician, or one who is presently working in that role, then you can apply the sample medical laboratory technician job description above in making the Professional Experience part of your resume.

By highlighting the duties and responsibilities of a medical laboratory technician from the above sample job description in the Professional Experience section of your resume, you will be showing that you have been successful working as a medical laboratory technician.

This information can very well boost the effectiveness of your resume, especially if the new position that you are seeking requires some working experience as a medical laboratory technician.

Medical Laboratory Technician Job Requirements: Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge for Career Success

Here are major requirements you may need to fulfill to be hired as a medical laboratory technician:

• Must have a high school diploma and acceptable accuracy record
• Possess at least 1 year of pre-medical education
• Must be a U.S citizen, if not, should work legally in the country for at least 3 years
• Pass a criminal background check and drug screen test before being hired
• Must be able to read, write, speak English well enough so that they can communicate with doctors, nurses, and other personnel involved in patient care. This will also enable them to understand medical procedures required in laboratory tests
• Possess valid driver’s license
• Must be able to obtain a medical laboratory technician certification and a Laboratory Supervisor Certification
• Medical laboratory technicians must have and maintain relevant certifications
• Must be able to pass a physical/medical examination given by the company where he/she will be working
• Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability to work with people of different ethnic or social backgrounds
• Medical laboratory technicians must have computer skills so that he/she can perform their job tasks
• Ability to work independently and also in a group environment
• Must be comfortable working in a clinical setting since they may sometimes work with patients one-on-one.

Medical Laboratory Technician Salary

The average salary of a medical laboratory technician in the United States is $61,923 per year.

Medical laboratory technicians are sometimes called clinical laboratory technicians, or simply laboratory technicians.

The highest paying cities foe these professionals are: Chicago, IL, $67,335; San Diego, CA, $66,540; Atlanta, GA, $65,176; Houston, TX, $63,300; and Phoenix, AZ, $63,162 per year.

There are currently over 207,650 laboratory technicians working in the United States. 

Women make up 46.7% of all laboratory technicians, while men make up 53.3%.

An employed laboratory technician is 43 years old on average.

White laboratory technicians are the most common ethnicity (57.3%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (15.7%), Asian (12.8%), and Black or African American (11.3%). 

In New York, NY, laboratory technicians are in high demand.

Conclusion

This post is helpful to individuals interested in the medical laboratory technician career; they will be able to learn all what the medical laboratory technician job entails.

It is also useful to recruiters/employers in making a detailed job description for the medical laboratory technician role in their organizations.

See: Medical Laboratory Technician Career Opportunities.