What does a medical laboratory technician do?
A medical laboratory technician is responsible for assisting medical health professionals in conducting laboratory tests to diagnose patients' conditions and provide treatments. Medical laboratory technicians ensure the sanitation of all the tools and equipment before conducting tests. They collect adequate blood samples and specimens, analyze fluid elements, utilize laboratory equipment safely, create reports of findings, and alert medical personnel and medical technologists of emergency conditions. A medical laboratory technician must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry disciplines and processes to perform sensitive tasks and release accurate medical results.
Medical laboratory technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real medical laboratory technician resumes:
- Assist in managing office functions through strong knowledge of PACS, Fuji CR, and EMR systems.
- Accomplish constant multitasking between phlebotomy, reception and lab on a daily basis while providing outstanding customer communication skills.
- Conduct clinical diagnostic laboratory tests and specimen analysis in hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, serology and immunology.
- Experience in the areas of chemistry, hematology, serology, urinalysis, coagulation and microbiology specimen preparation.
- Serve as rotational general laboratory technician in urinalysis, serology, chemistry, hematology, coagulation, microbiology, and shipping.
- Pass and receive ASCP MLT certification upon graduation.
- Assemble medical equipment, such as blood collection devices, tourniquet, needles, cotton and trays.
- Assemble tourniquet, needles, blood collection tubes, gauze, cotton and alcohol on work tray.
- Follow HIPAA and OSHA regulatory, policies, and procedures when resulting or entering patients' private personal records and information.
- Evaluate laboratory quality controls by utilizing standardize laboratory test controls, and maintain CLIA and OSHA safety guidelines.
- Perform hematology, chemistry, coagulation, blood banking, urinalysis, immunology, and other general laboratory testing.
- Provide clinical testing and specimen analysis in the areas of chemistry, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, and microbiology.
- Select by senior management to provide training and orientation in phlebotomy and other specimen collection procedures to new staff members.
- Complete specimen diagnostic testing and confirmation in laboratory areas of chemistry, hematology, coagulation, serology, and urinalysis.
- Execute and analyze tests in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, serology, histology and bacteriology to aid physicians.
Medical laboratory technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Medical Laboratory Technicians are proficient in Medical Laboratory, Patients, and ASCP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Medical Laboratory Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Medical Laboratory, 10%
Developed medical laboratory automated data processing.
- Patients, 10%
Report Antibiotic Resistant Organisms/Critical Values for all patients whom laboratory results exceed normal limits/standards.
- ASCP, 9%
Implemented Standard Operation Procedures to resolve complex problems and to stay in compliance with ASCP regulations.
- Clinical Laboratory, 8%
Perform various manual and automated clinical laboratory testing, maintain accuracy and quality of processes and equipment, communicate with caregivers.
- MLT, 6%
Demonstrated testing procedures and equipment to new laboratory personnel and MLT students.
- Patient Care, 4%
Report reference laboratory results and document critical laboratory results, outstanding communication skills and patient care while working in call centers.
Common skills that a medical laboratory technician uses to do their job include "medical laboratory," "patients," and "ascp." You can find details on the most important medical laboratory technician responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a medical laboratory technician to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "medical assistants must be able to understand and follow medical charts and diagnoses." Additionally, a medical laboratory technician resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "processed and prepared patient specimens for analysis; evaluation of samples to assess for laboratory guidelines of acceptability. "
Detail oriented. Many medical laboratory technician duties rely on detail oriented. "medical assistants need to be precise when taking vital signs or recording patient information," so a medical laboratory technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways medical laboratory technician responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "detail data entry for reference labs, insurance billing and payments. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of medical laboratory technicians is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday medical laboratory technician duties, as "medical assistants need to be able to discuss patient information with other medical personnel, such as physicians." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "performed work requiring manual dexterity, excellent communication and interpersonal skills. "
Technical skills. For certain medical laboratory technician responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "technical skills." The day-to-day duties of a medical laboratory technician rely on this skill, as "medical assistants should be able to use basic clinical instruments so they can take a patient’s vital signs, such as heart rate and blood pressure." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what medical laboratory technicians do: "utilize technical skills and ability to accurately handle and process specimens. "
The three companies that hire the most medical laboratory technicians are:
- Mercy Corps705 medical laboratory technicians jobs
- Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.479 medical laboratory technicians jobs
- MedPro Healthcare Staffing336 medical laboratory technicians jobs
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Compare different medical laboratory technicians
Medical laboratory technician vs. Medical technologist, generalist
A Medical Technologist Generalist performs day-to-day operations in the laboratory such as routine testing, quality control, and maintenance of instruments. They also develop, perform, and evaluate the accuracy of laboratory procedures.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, medical laboratory technician responsibilities require skills like "medical laboratory," "ascp," "mlt," and "customer service." Meanwhile a typical medical technologist, generalist has skills in areas such as "team-oriented environment," "laboratory tests," "analyzers," and "technical support." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Medical technologists, generalist tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $60,952. In contrast, medical laboratory technicians make the biggest average salary, $50,515, in the health care industry.The education levels that medical technologists, generalist earn slightly differ from medical laboratory technicians. In particular, medical technologists, generalist are 3.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a medical laboratory technician. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical laboratory technician vs. Laboratory supervisor
The primary job of laboratory supervisors is to oversee the daily operations of laboratories. They are responsible for facilitating the collection, analysis, and interpretation of laboratory results. Other responsibilities include supervising personnel, managing the operating budget of the laboratory, and hiring employees. Laboratory supervisors are responsible for overseeing quality assurance and enforcing practices to ensure quality control within the laboratory. Aside from these tasks, they also manage the acquisition of laboratory equipment and supplies and resolve any technical or administrative issues within the laboratory.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real medical laboratory technician resumes. While medical laboratory technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "medical laboratory," "ascp," "mlt," and "laboratory procedures," laboratory supervisors use skills like "chemistry," "test results," "corrective action," and "performance evaluations."
Laboratory supervisors may earn a higher salary than medical laboratory technicians, but laboratory supervisors earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $77,667. On the other hand, medical laboratory technicians receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,515.laboratory supervisors earn higher levels of education than medical laboratory technicians in general. They're 7.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for medical laboratory technicians in the next 3-5 years?
Gerald Bergtrom Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences (Emeritus) & Teaching & Learning Consultant, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
-Medical science will need to respond to new challenges arising out of climate change and the aging population. Supported (as always) by basic sciences, medical science will focus on big-picture biology, represented by the ever-growing number of "...omics". These include genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics... and the enabling technologies that let us look at a lot of genes, gene products, and biochemical reactions at the same time. Finally, the ever-improving gene-editing technologies can lead to the treatment of disease, leading to a greater understanding of the disease and biological process in general.
Medical laboratory technician vs. Laboratory aide
A laboratory aide is primarily responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and order in laboratories, all while performing support tasks for scientists. Their duties revolve around arranging specimens and samples, transporting materials from one laboratory to another, preparing apparatuses and machines, and storing them accordingly. A laboratory aide may also run errands, produce progress reports, sanitize areas and instruments, and properly dispose of chemicals and other hazardous waste. Furthermore, it is crucial to implement the laboratory's safety policies and regulations, ensuring a safe and healthy laboratory environment for everyone.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from medical laboratory technician resumes include skills like "medical laboratory," "ascp," "clinical laboratory," and "mlt," whereas a laboratory aide is more likely to list skills in "test results," "phone calls," "computer programs," and "reference laboratories. "
Laboratory aides earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $31,856. Comparatively, medical laboratory technicians have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $50,515.Most laboratory aides achieve a similar degree level compared to medical laboratory technicians. For example, they're 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical laboratory technician vs. Laboratory associate
A laboratory associate's responsibilities revolve around preparing test samples and subjecting them into different examination processes for scientific purposes. Aside from performing extensive analysis, they are also responsible for recording data, reviewing findings, collaborating with other scientists, and producing various reports and presentations. A laboratory associate can work for an institution or private company; they may also choose to contribute their studies in different publications and research activities. Furthermore, as a laboratory practitioner, it is essential to adhere to all the laboratory safety policies and regulations, ensuring a safe and healthy work environment.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between medical laboratory technicians and laboratory associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a medical laboratory technician might have more use for skills like "medical laboratory," "ascp," "clinical laboratory," and "mlt." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of laboratory associates require skills like "chemistry," "equipment maintenance," "data integrity," and "lims. "
Laboratory associates enjoy the best pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $43,992. For comparison, medical laboratory technicians earn the highest salary in the health care industry.laboratory associates reach similar levels of education compared to medical laboratory technicians, in general. The difference is that they're 3.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of medical laboratory technician
Updated January 8, 2025
