Medical & Clinical Laboratory Technician

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

A medical or clinical laboratory technician could...

Overview

Listen to this section

Doctors need information to decide if a person is healthy or sick, if a baby's earache is bacterial or viral, or if the man next door needs medication to lower his cholesterol and prevent a heart attack. The information often comes in the form of results from lab tests. Medical and clinical laboratory technicians are the people who perform these routine medical laboratory tests, giving the doctors the information needed to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Medical & Clinical Laboratory Technician?

1. Active Listening: ? Giving 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.
2. Reading Comprehension: ? Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
3. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.
4. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
5. Science: ? Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

6. Writing: ? Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
7. Quality Control Analysis: ? Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
8. Complex Problem Solving: ? Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
9. Time Management: ? Managing one's own time and the time of others.
10. Monitoring: ? Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Medical & Clinical Laboratory Technician might do:

• Conduct chemical analyses of body fluids, such as blood or urine, using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases and enter findings into computer.
• Analyze the results of tests or experiments to ensure conformity to specifications, using special mechanical or electrical devices.
• Set up, maintain, calibrate, clean, and test sterility of medical laboratory equipment.
• Prepare standard volumetric solutions or reagents to be combined with samples, following standardized formulas or experimental procedures.
• Collect blood or tissue samples from patients, observing principles of asepsis to obtain blood sample.
• Supervise or instruct other technicians or laboratory assistants.