Pennsylvania Medical Laboratory Technician Training Program
Education for Medical Technicians in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania employs many medical technicians with over 10,670 workers in this industry. It is reported as being one of the highest numbers of workers in this occupation, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment for medical technicians will increase significantly over the next several years. Due to the overall growth in population and the introduction of new tests, this particular industry will grow by 14% through the year of 2016, and is reported to grow at a faster than average rate for all other occupations. Currently, hospitals are the biggest employer of medical technicians but that will change somewhat as employment is growing rapidly in physician offices, ambulatory health services and laboratories. Pennsylvania currently has over 250 job openings for medical technicians.
Typically, Pathologists, Technologists and Physicians are the ones that work directly with medical technicians. In addition to performing analysis and collecting blood, medical technicians are responsible for a variety of tasks. Pennsylvania medical technician training programs will prepare graduates for all frequently performed tasks the job requires. These would include:
- Check accuracy of lab samples.
- Check chemicals and other content in blood samples while analyzing body fluids.
- Conduct tests on microorganisms and chemical research for microbiologist or biochemist.
- Perform routine data entry of results into computer system.
- Maintain, manage and troubleshoot equipment used in analysis.
- Convey test results to family, researchers and physicians.
- Quality assurance monitoring and implementing to ensure accuracy of tests.
- Monitoring current trends to stay abreast on the latest infections and procedures.
- Vaccine and serum preparation.
- Good understanding and knowledge of office applications such as, spreadsheets, word processing and desktop publishing.
It is critical for medical technicians to be most accurate when conducting lab work. They are the ones to convey patients’ diagnosis and treatment by the results of blood tests performed. Medical technicians need to be prepared to work odd shifts, holidays, nights, weekends and sometimes on-call.
The American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification offers many available courses for medical technicians to stay abreast of their education and latest technology. Their Continuing Medical Laboratory Education (CMLE) is a comprehensive course with online learning for convenience.
As rapidly as this industry changes, it is imperative to stay up to date on the latest offerings or continued education for medical technicians. For the most recent requirements, be sure to visit American Society for Clinical Pathology Board.
Re-certification for medical technicians is crucial to continue to work in this profession. You will need to be re-certified every two years, making the continued education courses even more critical.
For more information on re-certification, be sure to research and visit the following programs:
Verification of Certification:
This program is certainly not mandatory but will give you a chance to showcase your efforts, talents and accomplishments by having your certification public. It would make it much easier for future employers to be able to find your certified category, your certification number and the date of your license. There is a fee for this type of certification available through the National Student Clearinghouse or NSC.
Medical Technician Skills and Major Employers:
Some of the basic skills and knowledge needed for the medical technician are as follows: General office procedures; Listening; Able to think quickly; Decision making; Science; Quality Control; Monitoring and Communication.
Major Employers for Medical Technicians:
Hospitals, Colleges, Research Institutions, Physician offices, Laboratories and Diagnostic Centers are some of the common places for medical technician to work.