What courses does one have to take to become a Lab Technician?

Question

I am coming from teaching ESL. I am in my early 40s.

Answer 1

There are two levels of "lab techs". The first is a medical technologist, which is a four year course of study resulting in a BS degree. It also involves approximately one year of internship in a clinical laboratory setting. I got my degree in biology and chemistry and then did my one-year internship in a hospital laboratory, getting 32 hrs of college credit for it. Counting the 32 hrs, I have a total of about 56 hours in biology and 40 hours in chemistry, plus several math courses, including statistics.

The second level is the CLT or MLT - which is a clinical/medical laboratory technician. The course of study involves the routine electives for a degree plus chemistry, biology (including human anatomy/microbiology), some math (including statistics) and clinical rotation through a clinical laboratory. This is an associate in science degree.

The clinical portion is to provide some on-the-job training so that, when you graduate, you will have had some familiarity with the job.

When you are hired as a lab tech, you will be given more training through all of the sections of the laboratory that you will be assigned to work in. Of course, depending upon your experience and skills, this orientation may last a few weeks to a couple of months. This orientation is necessary because no two labs are the same - they have different equipment, policies & procedures, and each has a unique menu of testing that they offer.

To be successful, you should have a keen and curious mind, be able think fast, be able to do some problem solving, and be an organized person who uses good judgement.

When I was a laboratory manager, my favorite employees were often the middle-aged women. They could handle stress and didn't let little things bother them, had good attendance, were more self-confident, and could handle difficult situations and were able to resolve problems better. They also seemed to have more stamina than the younger workers. What I've just said above is a generalization, as, of course, there will always be many exceptions.

Answer 2

It is an associate degree. Some will depends on how many credits you already have too. It will probably at least 2 years if you go full-time. Go to your Community College's website and see if they offer it.

Answer 3

I'm sure that biology and chemistry courses would be required, but as someone else mentioned, one should check with the individual program as to the prereq courses and requirements.

For US colleges: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ

Answer 4

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos096.htm