Karen Wong
March 21st 2014
Clinical Laboratory Technician
What I know:
Clinical laboratory technicians work mostly in a laboratory, and they deal with any samples sent to them by physicians at hospitals. These samples are from patients and they will determine any diseases or abnormalities in the samples and tell the physicians of such.
Education and/or Training: www.darkdaily.com
● Useful courses to take are biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and any laboratory based classes
● A high school diploma is required as is a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory technology
● Some employers may look for an associate’s degree instead, which is a 1-year certificate program offered by various technical schools
● A license in some states is required, and can be obtained by contacting the state department of health to inquire about the requirements and to take an exam
● Useful skills include attention to detail, ability to learn quickly, and proficiency with laboratory equipment
Responsibilities/Daily Activities:
● Spend most of their time in a laboratory setting, and must take care to follow safety procedures set in place at their work environment as some materials dealt with may be toxic
● They will study blood samples collected from patients using various pieces of equipment in the laboratory
● They log data into the patient’s record for physicians and other medical personnel to access
● They work typical 40-hour days with few variations
● There is not much area to rise in ranks at this career
Salary:
● Between $30,200 and $60,300 per year; Average yearly salary of $45,350
Sources:
● "Clinical Laboratory Technician." US-News: Job Overview. World Wide Web. 21 Mar. 2014. <http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/clinical-laboratory-technician>.
● "Clinical Laboratory Technologist: Career." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. World Wide Web. 23 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/clinical-laboratory-technologists-and-technicians>.
Self-Reflection:
I would not like to work in a laboratory as a clinical laboratory technician on a daily basis. I think I would become slightly bored by the monotony of laboratory work that doesn’t have many variations in daily work. I don’t believe I would be able to complete a career in being a technician, but I do think that the work they do is very vital to the work that physicians are able to do every day.