Employers

Medical laboratory technicians are employed where physicians work, such as in hospitals, clinics, offices of physicians, blood blanks, and commercial medical laboratories. Approximately 331,770 medical and clinical laboratory technicians are employed in the United States, with nearly 50 percent working in hospitals.

Starting Out

Graduates of medical laboratory technology schools usually receive assistance from faculty and school career services offices in finding their first jobs. Hospitals, laboratories, and other facilities employing medical laboratory technicians may notify local schools of job openings. Often the hospital or laboratory at which you receive your practical training will offer full-time employment after graduation. Positions may also be secured using the various registries of certified medical laboratory workers. Newspaper job advertisements, Internet job sites, and commercial placement agencies are other sources of help in locating employment.

Medical laboratory technicians often advance by returning to school to earn a bachelor's degree. This can lead to positions as medical technologists, histological technologists, cytotechnologists, or specialists in blood bank technology.

Other technicians advance by gaining more responsibility while retaining the title of technician. For instance, with experience, these workers can advance to supervisory positions or other positions assigning work to be done by other medical laboratory workers. Medical laboratory technicians may also advance by training to do very specialized or complex laboratory or research work.

Read Clinical Laboratory Science (https://www.ascls.org/communication/clinlabsci-journal) and Lab Medicine (https://store.ascp.org/productlisting/productdetail?productId=13821) to learn more about the field.

Visit the following Web sites for job listings:

• https://careers.ascp.org/jobseekers
• https://www.healthecareers.com/amt
• https://careers.aab.org

Attend the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science's Annual Meeting and Exposition and other association conferences to take continuing education classes, learn about potential employers, and network.

Talk to medical laboratory technicians about their careers. Ask them for advice on breaking into the field.

Become certified in order to show employers that you have met the highest standards established by your industry.