Additional Information
Check into job shadowing programs at your school. Or volunteer at a medical
lab. That will give you a chance to try out the laboratory work environment
and see if this is really the career for you.
"Try to get a summer job in a lab. We hire students to wash the glassware
and do other small things. It will give you a good idea of how the lab works,"
suggests medical lab technologist Lisa Gurney.
Most medical lab technology programs require students to have upper-level
biology, chemistry, math and English courses. "You'll need a strong science
background," says Gurney. "You have to enjoy physics, math, biology and chemistry.
Try to get some computer courses, too -- we work with a lot of technology."
Work hard in your lab courses. "High school lab courses are a good place
to start developing your laboratory skills," says medical lab technician Trisha
Leong.
The educational pathway differs whether you want to be a lab technician
or technologist.
A technician must graduate with an associate's degree in medical technology
(or the equivalent) from an accredited two-year college. You will need work
experience in a laboratory.
A lab technologist must graduate with a four-year bachelor of science degree.
The degree may be in medical laboratory science or in related disciplines.
You will still need work experience in a lab.
Either way, after graduation, you must write a certifying exam. It is administered
by the American Medical Technologists.
The school of your choice should offer a sound background in science, not
just technological training.
In the United States, programs are accredited by National Accrediting Agency
for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).