Career Path

Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician

Overview

In this career, your responsibilities may include:

Preparing specimens (bodily fluids including blood and urine, or tissue samples) for testing.
Testing specimens for diagnostic purposes, and recording whether findings are normal or abnormal.
Performing less complex tests than laboratory technologists, usually by operating automated machinery.

Job Titles

In your job search, you may find listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at Career One Stop.

Academic Requirements

Typically requires an associate degree. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in medical technology or a related science would allow you to work as a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist, if you do not already have the U.S. equivalent of a bachelor’s degree. Your associate degree might give you advanced standing or transfer credit towards a bachelor’s degree, reducing the time it would take you to graduate.

Certification

Certification is required in most of the states that require licensure. Even in states where certification is not required, it could make employers more likely to hire you or offer you a higher salary.

You may be eligible for certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) or American Medical Technologists.
Licensure

Licensure is required in ten states plus Puerto Rico: California, Hawaii, Florida, New York, North Dakota, Tennessee, Louisiana, Nevada, West Virginia, and Montana. Licensure requirements vary by state, but most require certification in order to obtain licensure.