Clinical and medical laboratory technologists The usual requirement for an entry-level position as a clinical laboratory technologist is a bachelor’s degree with a major in medical technology or one of the life sciences, although it is possible to qualify for some jobs with a combination of education and on-the-job as well as specialized training. A variety of universities and hospitals offer medical technology programs. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act requires technologists who perform highly complex tests to have an associate degree.
In most four-year degree programs, the student attends classroom courses for three years and clinical rotations for one year, where the student experiences hands-on learning in each discipline of the laboratory.
Clinical and medical laboratory technicians generally have either an associate degree from a community or junior college or a certificate from a hospital, a vocational or technical school, or the Armed Forces. A few technicians learn their skills on the job.
The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) fully accredits about 470 programs for medical and clinical laboratory technologists, medical and clinical laboratory technicians, histotechnologists and histotechnicians, cytogenetic technologists, and diagnostic molecular scientists. NAACLS also approves about 60 programs in phlebotomy and clinical assisting. For more information, visit www.naacls.org. Other nationally recognized agencies that accredit specific areas for clinical laboratory workers include: the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) and the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (www.abhes.org.)
|
