A medical lab technician is a person who performs qualitative and quantitative analysis on various patient samples such as body fluids, tissue samples and cell samples in order to determine various factors like disease type, chemical content in blood etc. The lab tech then compiles the data that he has obtained from the various analyses and compiles them in a concise manner into a report which he then passes onto a qualified physician who can then determine a proper treatment plan or course of action.
Although a career as a medical lab tech is the easiest way to get into the lucrative field of medicine, the job comes with many responsibilities. Medical lab techs work in various branches of technical analysis such as blood analysis, immunology, hematology, virology etc. They operate complex laboratory equipment which cost millions of dollars and they should be proficient in analyzing the data collected after tests are performed. The final treatment plan that any doctor follows depends a great deal on the data provided by the medical lab tech. They work in various fields ranging from simple blood banks, pathology labs and forensic labs to extensive clinical testing laboratories of pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories of reputed universities.
The work of a medical lab tech ranges from doing simple jobs like blood tests, premarital amniotic tests and urine analysis to highly complex jobs like immunochemical analysis, histogenetic analysis, detection of major diseases like HIV, cancer and diabetes. Medical lab techs are proficient in collecting patient samples carefully and tabulating the results obtained after testing and analyzing the samples. They correct any anomaly arising out of a particular series of tests and gather the final data and communicates it to the physician so that the proper course of action can be taken.
As far as the demand for medical lab techs is considered, it is growing exponentially. This is due to the fact that population has been increasing and the development of various lifestyle diseases and diseases caused due to resistant strains of various microbes lead to an increased incidence in disease in general. The analysis of various disease causing microorganisms and the development of cures for these diseases all require the input of qualified medical techs. They are a vital part of counteracting disease and providing a healthy lifestyle for people in general. Lab techs can work in hospitals, ambulatory care units, research labs in universities and pharmaceutical companies and many other avenues.
In order to pursue a career as a medical lab technician, you have to hold at the least a bachelor’s degree in science. Many colleges offer a minimum two year course in this respect. Medical lab technicians could also earn degrees in life sciences such as chemistry and biology. When choosing a particular education program, candidates must ensure that it covers not only life sciences in detail but also covers the operation and interpretation of complex machinery. The future indeed looks bright for medical lab techs as growth in this job sector is expected to grow much faster than in other job sectors.