Medical Laboratory Technologists

HOW TO GET THERE

Typical pathway

A typical path starts with high school courses in biology, chemistry, math and physics, plus good communication and attention to detail. After graduation, many students complete a college diploma or a related post-secondary medical laboratory technology program, often with lab practice or clinical placement. Some people build early experience in health care settings or as lab assistants before moving into this role. Employers and provinces may vary in the exact training they prefer, and technologists may later focus on areas such as hematology, microbiology, histotechnology, immunohematology or cytotechnology.

THE WORK

What you may do

Legacy duties

• Conduct chemical analyses of blood, urine, and cerebro-spinal and other body fluids
• Study blood cells and other tissues to determine their relation to various physiological and pathological conditions
• Prepare tissue sections for microscopic examinations using techniques to demonstrate special cellular tissue elements or other characteristics
• Establish procedures for the analysis of specimens and for medical laboratory experiments
• Perform blood group, type and compatibility tests for transfusion purposes
• May supervise and train other medical laboratory technical staff, students and helpers
• May perform the duties of a pathologist's assistant in some hospitals.
• Medical laboratory technologists may specialize in areas such as clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, hematology, histotechnology, immunohematology and cytotechnology.

SKILLS TO BUILD

Skills used in this Career