The Medical Laboratory Technician performs complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Tasks for Medical Laboratory Technicians
- The Medical Laboratory Technician conducts chemical analysis of body fluids, including blood, urine, and spinal fluid, to determine presence of normal and abnormal components.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician analyzes laboratory findings to check the accuracy of the results.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician enters data from analysis of medical tests and clinical results into computer for storage.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician operates, calibrates and maintains equipment used in quantitative and qualitative analysis, such as spectrophotometers, calorimeters, flame photometers, and computer-controlled analyzers.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician establishes and monitors quality assurance programs and activities to ensure the accuracy of laboratory results.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician sets up, cleans, and maintains laboratory equipment.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician provides technical information about test results to physicians, family members and researchers.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician supervises, trains, and directs lab assistants, medical and clinical laboratory technicians and technologists and other medical laboratory workers engaged in laboratory testing.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician collects and studies blood samples to determine the number of cells, their morphology, or their blood group, blood type, and compatibility for transfusion purposes, using microscopic techniques.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician analyzes samples of biological material for chemical content or reaction.
Knowledge requirements for Medical Laboratory Technician
The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of chemical composition, structure and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. The Medical Laboratory Technician needs knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Skill Requirement for Medical Laboratory Technician
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to understand written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to use scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to conduct tests and inspections of products, services or processes to evaluate quality of performance.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to talk to others to convey information effectively.
- The Medical Laboratory Technician needs the skill to identify complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions that will help their job function.