Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
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Overview
Perform complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. May train or supervise staff.
Until very recently, government survey data collection for Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists included the career Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians. As a result, much of the information for these careers is identical.
Highlights
Undergraduate program resulting in the highest median salary ($64K): Medical Technologies Technicians
Largest undergraduate program (24.9% of workers): Medical Technologies Technicians
Explore Pathways
Titles for this career often contain these words
TechnologistLaboratorySpecialistClinicalMedicalCytotechnologistLabCytogeneticsResearchCytogeneticScientistBloodBankHistotechnologistChiefinTechnicianCytologyHistologyTechLeadSeniorTechnicalBiochemistryCertifiedChargeChemistryCytogeneticistCCSManagerCLSCLSpCGAssociateResearcherCytopathologySupervisorDifferentialGeneticHematologyHistologistImmunohematologistNumericalControlOperatorMTMicrobiologyPathologyStaffTissue
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Responsibilities and activities

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians typically do the following:

  • Analyze body fluids, such as blood, urine, and tissue samples, and record normal or abnormal findings
  • Study blood samples for use in transfusions by identifying the number of cells, the cell morphology or the blood group, blood type, and compatibility with other blood types
  • Operate sophisticated laboratory equipment, such as microscopes and cell counters
  • Use automated equipment and computerized instruments capable of performing a number of tests at the same time
  • Log data from medical tests and enter results into a patient’s medical record
  • Discuss results and findings of laboratory tests and procedures with physicians

Both technicians and technologists perform tests and procedures that physicians and surgeons or other healthcare personnel order. However, technologists perform more complex tests and laboratory procedures than technicians do. For example, technologists may prepare specimens and perform detailed manual tests, whereas technicians perform routine tests that may be more automated. Clinical laboratory technicians usually work under the general supervision of clinical laboratory technologists or laboratory managers.

Technologists in small laboratories perform many types of tests; in large laboratories, they sometimes specialize. The following are examples of types of specialized clinical laboratory technologists:

Blood bank technologists, or immunohematology technologists, collect blood, classify it by type, and prepare blood and its components for transfusions.

Clinical chemistry technologists prepare specimens and analyze the chemical and hormonal contents of body fluids.

Cytotechnologists prepare slides of body cells and examine these cells under a microscope for abnormalities that may signal the beginning of a cancerous growth.

Immunology technologists examine elements of the human immune system and its response to foreign bodies.

Microbiology technologists examine and identify bacteria and other microorganisms.

Molecular biology technologists perform complex protein and nucleic acid tests on cell samples.

Like technologists, clinical laboratory technicians may work in several areas of the laboratory or specialize in one area. For example, histotechnicians are a type of clinical laboratory technician who cut and stain tissue specimens for pathologists— doctors who study the cause and development of diseases at a microscopic level.

Technologists and technicians often specialize after they have worked in a particular area for a long time or have received advanced education or training in that area.

Salary
Median salary: $54,180 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $39,680 and $69,650.
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Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$42K$62K$48K$47K$54K$59K$26K$53K$38K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
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About Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of medical and clinical laboratory technologists who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Time Pressure (93%)
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections (85%)
  • Consequence of Error (78%)
  • Hazardous Conditions (69%)
  • Exposed to Contaminants (61%)
  • Responsible for Others' Health (57%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Ability to use technology
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians must understand how to operate computerized lab equipment.
Detail oriented
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians must follow exact instructions in order to perform tests or procedures correctly.
Dexterity
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians need to be skilled with their hands. They work closely with needles and precision laboratory instruments and must handle these tools effectively.
Physical stamina
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians may work on their feet for long periods while collecting samples. They may need to lift or turn disabled patients to collect samples for testing.
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by medical and clinical laboratory technologists
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical and clinical laboratory technologists typically hold a bachelor's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for medical and clinical laboratory technologists

An entry-level job for technologists usually requires a bachelor's degree in medical technology or life sciences.

A bachelor’s degree program in medical laboratory technology, also known as a medical laboratory scientist degree, includes courses in chemistry, biology, microbiology, math, and statistics. Students typically complete college coursework and then apply to the clinical portion of the program. Coursework emphasizes laboratory skills, including safety procedures and lab management, while the clinical portion includes hands-on training in a typical work setting like a hospital. Some laboratory science programs can be completed in 2 years or less and require prior college coursework or a bachelor’s degree.

Clinical laboratory technicians often complete an associate’s degree program in clinical laboratory science. The Armed Forces and vocational or technical schools also may offer certificate programs for medical laboratory technicians. Technician coursework addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of each of the major laboratory disciplines.

High school students who are interested in pursuing a career in the medical laboratory sciences should take classes in chemistry, biology, and math.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for medical and clinical laboratory technologists

Some states require laboratory personnel to be licensed. Requirements vary by state and specialty. For specific requirements, contact state departments of health, state boards of occupational licensing, or visit The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

Certification of clinical laboratory technologists and technicians is required for licensure in some states. Although certification is not required to enter the occupation in all cases, employers typically prefer to hire certified technologists and technicians.

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians can obtain a general certification as a medical laboratory technologist or technician, respectively, or a certification in a specialty, such as cytotechnology or medical biology. Most credentialing institutions require that technologists complete an accredited education program in order to qualify to sit for an exam. For more credentialing information, visit the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, American Medical Technologists, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

Education level of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians
Only 49% of medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
Top college degrees
Here are the top college degrees held by the 47% of people in this job who have at least a bachelor's degree. Some of degrees may link to multiple programs due to the way Census classifies college majors. Click on a program to learn more about career opportunities for people who major in that field.
  1. Medical Technologies Technicians
  2. Biology
  3. Nursing
  4. Chemistry
  5. Microbiology
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College majors held by medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
This table shows the college majors held by people working as medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians. If you see "**" before the name of a degree/program, that means this field is one that the Department of Education believes is preparatory for this career. However, you can see from this list that those recommendations are far from your only path to this job!
Salary comparison for bachelor's only
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Career salary (tail) versus Career/Major salary (dot)
Does the bachelor's-only salary rise or fall with this major?
$37K$64K
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For people with this career and major
Median
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Salary for all workers
For people with this career and major
Median
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Middle 80%
Education for Career and Major
Bachelor's
Master's
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Workers with this career/major
Percentage in this career with this major
Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Not so much?
The link between degrees and this career
With the following sankey diagram, you can follow the top ten bachelor's degrees held by people working as medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, and then, in turn, you can see the 10 occupations that hire the most of each degree's graduates. We hope this provides ideas for similar jobs and similar fields of study.
Expand degrees
Medical Technologies...BiologyNursingChemistryMicrobiologyMultidisciplinary or...PsychologyBiochemical SciencesBusiness Management ...General BusinessAll other degreesThis jobTop 10 majors
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most medical and clinical laboratory technologists? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as medical and clinical laboratory technologists. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where medical and clinical laboratory technologists earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (ACS for all specialties)
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Employment
15% of Medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 15% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 57% of careers.
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Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$47K$54K$43K$48K$52K$50K$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000Federal governmentState governmentLocal governmentPrivate not-for-profitPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians and gender
With 72% women, this occupation has a higher percentage of women than 83% of careers.
Gender of Medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
Men (28%)
Women (72%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$46K$49K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
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Context: Salary inequity
The median salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%. The situation is a little better for medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, with the median salary for men 6% higher than the median salary for women.
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Race/Origin
Race and origin of Medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians.
Race/origin of medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
White (65% )
Black (16% )
Asian (12% )
Other (3% )
Multiracial (2% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$39K$41K$41K$42K$43K$48K$53K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100KOtherBlackAmerican IndianHispanicMultiracialWhiteAsian
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.