Requirements to Become a Medical Technologist
Medical technologists, also called clinical laboratory technologists and clinical laboratory scientists, are trained health care professionals who run medical tests and analyze the resulting data. Medical technologists play an important role in detecting, diagnosing, treating, monitoring and preventing disease. A majority of medical technologists work behind the scenes in hospital labs, but some find employment in chemistry labs, medical offices, biotechnology labs or blood banks.
Education
Most entry-level medical technologist positions require the completion of a 4-year degree program. Medical technology training programs are offered through colleges, universities and some hospitals and typically result in a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Medical Technology or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Clinical Laboratory Science. Medical technology programs should be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP; see Resources) or the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS; see Resources).
Course Work
Aspiring medical technologists typically attend classroom lectures focusing on the biological sciences, chemistry, microbiology, mathematics and statistics. Many medical technology educational programs require students to complete courses in computer applications, business and management. A majority of training programs also require a future medical technologist to complete a 1-year internship at a local hospital or diagnostic laboratory. This clinical experience provides the medical technology student with hands-on, supervised experience in various laboratory disciplines and diagnostic testing procedures.
Certification
A majority of employers prefer to hire medical technologists who have been certified by a recognized professional association. Two credentialing associations are the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA; see Resources). Medical technologists credentialed by the ASCP are entitled to use the letters MT for medical technologist, while those certified by the NCA can use the letters CLS, which is short for clinical laboratory scientist.
Licensure
Eleven states require their medical technologists to obtain a state license. These states are California, Georgia, Nevada, Hawaii, Louisiana, Tennessee, Montana, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Florida and North Dakota. All of these states except for California require aspiring medical technologists to be certified from a professional association before they will issue a state license. A potential medical technologist can check on the specific licensing requirements with her state's department of health or board of occupational licensing.
Specialization
While a majority of medical technologists are generalists, many become specialized in a specific area of medical technology. Common areas of specialization include hematology, toxicology, immunology, virology, parasitology and urinalysis. Other medical technology specializations include genetics, clinical biochemistry, mycology, cytogenetics and cytopathology. Medical technologists who have completed additional training are entitled to use additional credentials. For example, an individual who specializes in hematology can be credentialed by the ASCP as an SH, which is short for specialist in hematology.
Other Requirements
Successful medical technologists possess excellent problem-solving skills, analytical judgment and the ability to work effectively under stress. They must also be detail-oriented, because small changes or variations in data readouts or test substances can be crucial for a correct diagnosis. A high level of computer skills and manual dexterity is also important for employees in the medical technology field. Medical technologists must also be prepared to handle and examine various bodily fluids and human tissue samples.
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