How To Become A Medical Laboratory Technician Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a medical laboratory technician assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Daniel Ludwigsen

A medical laboratory technician assistant is a skilled medical professional trained in conducting lab tests and operating sophisticated lab equipment. He/she generally provides support to physicians and technologists working in the laboratory. To do this, they must run lab tests and prepare specimens that could help identify infections or anomalies in blood or tissue samples. This helps physicians to identify diseases and to diagnose and develop medications and treatments for patients.

A medical laboratory technician assistant typically works in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, health clinics, research laboratories, private laboratories, biotechnology companies, medical diagnostic laboratories, or veterinary laboratories. In order to be successful in his/her /her role, a medical laboratory technician assistant should have technical skills, attention to detail, analytical skills, and communication skills.

A medical laboratory technician assistant works 40 hours a week Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. Depending on patients' schedules, he/she may be required to work longer hours and even on the weekends.

What general advice would you give to a medical laboratory technician assistant?

Daniel Ludwigsen

Department Head, Associate Professor of Physics, Kettering University

If I'm talking with a graduate that is in the fortunate position to be weighing multiple opportunities, I emphasize the importance of work culture. This applies to graduate schools as well! If you are interviewing, and have a chance to evaluate the environment in which you'll be spending so much of your time and energy, try to pick up on the nonverbal "feel" of the place and the people there.

ScoreMedical Laboratory Technician AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,484

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 9.12%

Black or African American 11.57%

Hispanic or Latino 22.19%

Unknown 4.64%

White 51.67%

Gender

female 82.18%

male 17.82%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a medical laboratory technician assistant

Explore medical laboratory technician assistant education requirements

Most common medical laboratory technician assistant degrees

Associate

29.7 %

Certificate

21.8 %

Diploma

18.8 %

Start to develop specific medical laboratory technician assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Phlebotomy	14.10%
Patients	12.74%
Lab Tech	7.24%
EKG	6.01%
Vital Signs	5.93%

Complete relevant medical laboratory technician assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical laboratory technician assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical laboratory technician assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical laboratory technician assistant resumes.

Gain additional medical laboratory technician assistant certifications

Medical laboratory technician assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical laboratory technician assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for medical laboratory technician assistants include Medical Assistant and Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT).

More About Certifications

Research medical laboratory technician assistant duties and responsibilities

Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
Perform all protocol specific regulatory duties from initial submission to IRB to final study close-out.

Prepare your medical laboratory technician assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical laboratory technician assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical laboratory technician assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical laboratory technician assistant resume templates

Build a professional medical laboratory technician assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical laboratory technician assistant resume.

Apply for medical laboratory technician assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a medical laboratory technician assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do medical laboratory technician assistants rate their job?

-/5

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1 star

Medical laboratory technician assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022

Pros

Interaction with patient. Caring for patients. Educating, Scheduling procedures.

Cons

Being overwhelmed with too many time sensitive referrals. Appeals

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021