Health Careers
Medical/Clinical Lab Technician
Professional Activities
Medical laboratory technicians (MLTs) perform laboratory tests that are important in detecting, diagnosing, and treating diseases. They are part of a highly skilled team that works together to solve mysteries, put puzzles together and answer critical questions in medicine. A MLT performs tests to analyze blood, urine, tissue and other body specimens using sophisticated instruments. A MLT provides information to a doctor who needs the laboratory data to diagnose a patient’s illness. More than 70% of medical decisions made by physicians are based on laboratory findings. The information provided to the doctor is important in deciding what treatment is best for the patient and also in determining the prognosis of the patient’s illness. In fact, the practice of modern medicine would be impossible without these laboratory tests.
Working under the supervision of a medical technologist, an MLT works closely with physicians, researchers, and other health care professionals, usually in a hospital laboratory setting. They are an important member of the health care team. Other employment situations include clinics, research labs, and public health facilities. Rural Alaska employment opportunities are generally found in regional hospitals.
Educational Requirements
- Graduation from high school, preferably with a background in science and math.
- Completion of a two-year accredited medical laboratory technician program. Community colleges usually offer these programs.
- Some medical laboratory technicians go on to complete more advanced medical programs to become medical technologists or physician assistants.
Academic Programs
The University of Alaska has a Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) program that prepares students for employment as medical laboratory technicians. Students receive an Associate of Applied Science degree and are eligible to sit for national certification exams. (This program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.) For more information contact:
University of Alaska Anchorage
Medical Laboratory Technology Department
Heidi Mannion
Phone: (907) 786- 6924
Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/ctcnew/programs/alliedhealth/medlab/index.cfm
Contacts
State Contact:
Clinical Laboratory Scientists of Alaska (CLSA)
Karen Martin -CLSA Webmaster
1536 Porchet Way
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://www.clsaonline.org
National Contacts:
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
5600 N. River Road, Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
Phone: (773) 714-8880 or (847) 939-3597
Fax: (773) 714-8886
Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://www.naacls.org/
American Society for Clinical Pathology
33 West Monroe, Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (312) 541-4999
Toll Free: (800) 267-2727
Fax: (312) 541-4998
Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://www.ascp.org/
American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
6701 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 300
Bethesda, Maryland 20817
Phone: (301) 657-2768
Fax: (301) 657-2909
Web site: http://www.ascls.org/
National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel
P.O. Box 15945-289
Lenexa, KS 66285
Phone: (913) 895-4613
Fax: (913) 895-4652
Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://www.nca-info.org/
American Medical Technologists
10700 West Higgins Road, Suite 150
Rosemont, Illinois 60018
Phone: (847) 823-5169
Toll free: (800) 275-1268
Fax: (847) 823-0458
Web site: http://www.amt1.com
This page was last updated by Janice Troyer on May 28, 2009
