What does a medical technicians do?

Answer 1

According to the US Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos238.htm
"Medical, Dental, and Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians"
"When patients require a special appliance to see clearly, chew and speak well, or walk, their health care providers send requests to medical, dental, and ophthalmic laboratory technicians. These technicians produce a wide variety of appliances to help patients."

"Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians"
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos096.htm
"Clinical laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids, and cells. They look for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment."

Answer 2

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING A MEDICAL TECHNICIAN OR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST!!!!!!!!
Please?!!! We are also called Clinical Laboratory Scientists. We work with computerized analyzers to perform a variety of laboratory analyses in hospital and reference laboratories. Our field has become somewhat glamorized by TV shows like CSI, but our work is much more vital because we analyze laboratory specimens for the living (with the hopes of keeping them that way) rather than the dead. Areas of laboratory medicine include Hematology, Chemistry, Serology/Immunology, Urinalysis, Microbiology, Virology, and my area: Immunohematology - also called Blood Bank. Performing testing to provide blood for patients going to surgery, or accident victims, or chemotherapy or leukemia patients is very challenging and rewarding.

To become a MLT(ASCP) two years at a junior college with second year in a NCCLS certified MLT school. To be come a MT(ASCP) four years total of college with year four in a NCCLS certified MT school.

In a hospital, we must staff our lab 24 hours a day, and weekends and holidays also.

Our biggest challenge today is finding qualified personnel. There is currently a nationwide shortage of Medical Technologists. Just today, another one of my coworkers gave his notice of resignation. We are losing 3 techs in just 2 weeks. Most med techs are currently approaching retirement years and there are not enough schools to keep up the demand for new employees. Some employers are offering sign on bonuses and help paying tuition. Most individuals are aware of a nationwide nursing shortage but are not aware of how desperate we are for qualified medical technologists. We are behind the scenes and few know exactly what we do. Most people think that all we do is collect blood samples, but do not know that we have phlebotomists that do this for us and we are in the lab performing maintenance, qc, calibration, and then analysis of those samples so that when the doctors look at the report they will have a much better idea of what is wrong and what they can do to treat you.

If you are interested in becoming a med tech, please call and visit a local hospital laboratory for a tour. They will welcome you with open arms. And bring a friend!! Also perform web searches using ASCP and medical technology.