5 Things All Future Medical Laboratory Technicians Need to Know!

1. Become a Medical Laboratory Technician

Clinical laboratory testing plays a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Medical Laboratory Technicians are trained to work under the supervision of a Technologist to conduct routine diagnostic tests, as well as set up, clean and maintain medical laboratory equipment. As a Medical Laboratory Technician, you will be responsible to collect blood, tissue and other samples from patients, as well as log patient samples and prepare them for testing. You will perform laboratory procedures such as preparing specimens for testing, preparing culture media and stock solutions, and recognizing problems and errors in lab procedures.

2. What Will You Do as A Medical Laboratory Technician?

As a Medical Laboratory Technician, you will be an important member of the laboratory team. Your general duties will be to:

• Provide patient reception and documentation
• Use correct techniques to safely collect blood specimens
• Provide information to patients regarding proper collection of specimens other than blood
• Appropriately handle and distribute specimens to be analyzed by other members of the laboratory team
• Maintain a safe working environment
• Perform electrocardiograms (ECG’s), applying an understanding of heart activity and heart electrical conductivity

3. What Qualities Do You Need?

Certain qualities are essential to become a Medical Laboratory Technician as you will handle sensitive samples. First of all, you will need to have a strong sense of responsibility as well as a caring nature and an interest in the well-being of others, particularly the sick and elderly. As you will be handling important samples and data, it is important that you enjoy performing precise work, where details can be a matter of life or death as well as being productive and disciplined. In addition, you will need to be able to complete repetitive tasks accurately and maintain accuracy even in stressful or emergency situations. Medical Laboratory Assistant is also a job where you will have to be willing to take direction and work competently without constant supervision and be very conscientious.

4. Get Certified for More Opportunities

Being a certified Medical Laboratory Assistant has many advantages not only in terms of employment opportunities but also regarding the quality of your education and competencies. We recommend passing the exam for both the provincial and national certifications as it is a big advantage when looking for a job.

5. What Will You Learn?

The Medical Laboratory Technician Program emphasizes the importance of hands-on training. Being proficient in blood collection, performing ECG’s, and the use of various laboratory equipment(s) are as vital as learning the theory behind the practice. All students learn about the value of patient communication and patient care as interpersonal skills are a fundamental part of being a successful Medical Laboratory Technician. Here are the classes you will follow:

• Ethics, Professionalism, and Legislation
• Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Terminology
• Safety and Laboratory
• Fundamentals
• Hematology Fundamentals
• Laboratory Skills
• Foundation
• ECG and the Heart
• Quality Assurance and
• Laboratory Math
• Clinical Chemistry
• Urinalysis and Body Fluids
• Microbiology
• Cytology and Histology
• First Aid CPR

As you can see, being a Medical Laboratory Technician is a career that requires concentration and discipline, but this is also a fantastic career as you will be the first one to detect problems in patients.

For more information about this career or to enroll, visit the Medical Laboratory Technician program page.