Medical lab technicians are responsible for the preparation of specimens such as blood, stool, and urine and conducting laboratory procedures for the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of many diseases. For those who wish to embark on this fast-growing career, enrollment in an accredited training program is the primary requirement. Training programs are usually available in vocational/technical schools, community colleges, and laboratory technician schools as well.
Laboratory technician schools are the most common institutions which offer accredited laboratory technician training programs. Students will have to pursue a two-year associate’s degree course, usually in applied science. Here they will be taking up subjects such as biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, and microbiology. An individual can also choose to advance as a medical technologist by pursuing a bachelor’s degree program.
Laboratory technician schools will also train students to perform laboratory tasks such as the analysis of body fluids in a cellular, chemical and microbiological level, as well test procedures in hematology, serology, urinalysis, blood banking, clinical chemistry, and microbiology. In general, medical lab technicians undergo less education and training as compared to medical lab technologists who perform more complex and sophisticated laboratory procedures.
One must be careful to check as to whether the training programs offered by laboratory technician schools are properly accredited by regulatory bodies such as the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), and the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). Enrolling in an accredited training program ensures you with a high-quality education and training.
When choosing between a myriad of laboratory technician schools, you may want to personally visit the schools in order to make specific inquiries. Besides accreditation, try inquiring about a school’s admission requirements, tuition fees, class structure, success rate of their graduates, and if they are providing supervised clinical experience. If you are worried about your budget, there are also schools which offer financial aid and you may inquire about that as well.
Depending on the state where you plan to get employed, certification may or may not be required. You can check the websites of reputable organizations such as the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) to check for certification requirements. Laboratory technician schools can help prepare you not only for the duties and responsibilities that await you as a medical lab technician, but also in getting certification as well.