Medical Laboratory Science Top 10 Career Questions to Ask

Medical Laboratory Science Top 10 Career Questions to Ask
Use these 10 questions to help you decide on choosinga medical laboratory science career.

The questions below will help you think through your options about a medical laboratory science career. Take time to think about each question, then click on the YouTube video link at the bottom of the blog. I'll provide a deeper discussion of each question to help you decide if a medical laboratory career is for you.

1. Do you like science?

2. Are you interested in a career in health care?

3. Can you see yourself working with doctors and nurses to care for their patients?

4. Would you be comfortable working with blood and other body fluids?

5. Can you see yourself rising to the occasion with life-saving work?

6. Are you flexible enough to choose either a BS or AS degree to enter the medical laboratory profession?

7. If you have a BS in biology, chemistry, or microbiology, would it be acceptable to you to earn a professional certification in medical laboratory science with work experience and passing a nationally-recognized board exam?

8. Does the opportunity to travel across the country to work in different hospital laboratories interest you?

9. Are you intrigued with crime shows that use science as investigative tools?

10. Is shift work for me (working evenings and nights to start out)?

Medical Laboratory Scientist Career Decision with Amanda Reed, MLS program director at Saint Louis University.

A BS in Medical Laboratory Science provides you with meanginful work and career growth.

Medical Technologist (Med Tech, MT): This is an older reference to the MLS referenced above.

Clinical Laboratory Technologist (CLT): This is a synonymous reference to the MLS referenced above.

For more information: www.mls2030.com or [email protected]

Medical Laboratory Technician: (MLT): This laboratory professional has an Associate of Science in medical laboratory technology. It is typically a 2-year program that includes an internship in a medical laboratory.

Lab Technician (Lab tech): This is a common (although inaccurate) name for medical laboratory professionals.

A key difference between a medical laboratory scientist (BS degree) and medical laboratory technologist is that medical laboratory scientist (BS degree) are able to run more complicated tests than MLT's can. MLS can supervise the work of other laboratory staff, but MLT's are usually unable to do so based on current regulations.

Common medical laboratory terms:

Bench - This is where the actual work is performed. It includes preparing specimens, analyzing specimens, conferring with physicians and nurses, and watching computer screens that are monitoring the tests results and the instruments that analyze them.

Internships - This refers to the period of time a medical laboratory scientists or medical laboratory technician works in a real laboratory setting to learn the skills and test procedures necessary for the profession.

Clinical v. Medical - These are synonyms. Both describe type of work a medical laboratory scientists or medical laboratory technician performs

Quality Assurance (also know as quality control) - This is a process used in medical laboratories to ensure that test results are accurate. Known quantities of a laboratory test ( for example cholesterol) are run and the results of that must fall within a given range. This ensures that a test is working properly using either automated and manual testing methods.

Certified: Most medical laboratory professionals sit for the board registry exams from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP). Other laboratory professional organizations also provide certification tests for medical laboratory professionals.

Non-Reg: There are medical laboratory careers opportunities for those with a BS biology, chemistry, microbiology, and public health. Typically, they work in a large, metropolitan hospital laboratory and are trained in single disciplines. The professional certification from the ASCP (referenced above) is available after a designated training and work experience requirements are met.