Careers in health care often find professionals spending eight hours each day on their feet, working directly with patients and performing physically-demanding tasks the whole time. Others may find themselves working behind a desk, filing patient paperwork and scheduling appointments.

However, a third category of medical professionals work in a laboratory setting, doing detailed and demanding work, but often at a desk or other lower-paced setting.

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, medical technologists and technicians, and phlebotomists are among the most common jobs in a medical lab setting, and as the names suggest, there are a variety of different tasks each professional is expected to perform. In most cases, technologists have a Bachelor’s degree in their field, while technicians have an Associate degree (or its equivalent) and take on an assistance-type role. In most instances, phlebotomists are considered technicians.

A Day in the Lab

The exact nature of a lab technician’s or technologist’s job duties vary depending on where the place of employment is. In most cases, these professionals are responsible for examining and analyzing body fluids, cells, and samples for diseases, chemicals, or compatibility. The tools a lab tech relies on to get the job done include everything from microscopes and cell counters to automated lab equipment and highly specialized computerized diagnostic tools.

In order to perform all these tasks safely and efficiently, it’s necessary to work in an organized, clean environment that eliminates the possibility of cross-contamination or error. After all, sending the wrong lab results to a patient could not only cost money in terms of re-testing and time lost, but also cause patients to get the wrong medication or surgery. For this reason, most medical laboratories are found in the bottom floors of hospitals or in private labs within a larger medical office. Foot traffic is kept to a minimum, and in many cases, access is restricted to recognized employees only.

Because so much of what a lab tech does has to do with potentially infectious body fluids or tissues, as well as chemicals needed for testing, standards of sterilization and infection control are fairly stringent. Employees may be required to wear masks, gloves, goggles, or even body suits while working. The hours are also varied, with independent labs offering more stable hours and hospitals offering rotations that might include graveyard or evening and weekend shifts.

Becoming a Lab Tech

If you’re interested in going to school to become a lab tech, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the work environment first. Although there is quite a bit of education and skill that go into the profession, there tends to be a high focus on clean, orderly working habits and quite a bit of technical knowledge that you might not associate with a traditional medical career.

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