Have you considered working as a medical technologist? Do you know what the entire job entails and how to go about getting the training you will need? It’s not as difficult as you might think, and the field is one that is growing exponentially, even in an economy where jobs are being lost right and left.
It’s that way across the board in the medical professions. Even while other areas are shrinking in their demand of employees, the medical professions are growing exponentially, especially when it comes to individuals who hold positions as medical technologists.
Medical technologists are found everywhere; in laboratories across the globe. For the most part they work in pathology labs where they not only operate medical equipment and make sure that it is kept in proper working order (including maintenance and calibration), they also provide all kinds of technical support to the doctors and nurses, even supervisors or scientists who need their help in operating the equipment or in getting the actual nuts and bolts of the lab work done, for it isn’t just equipment that they work with. Another aspect of the job is doing the actual analysis of samples, something that most seem very much to enjoy.
While much of the lab work is routine, it can still be interesting. Part of the job is conducting tests of all different kinds (including chemical tests, bacteriological tests and even microscopic tests). Another part of the job is making sure that all the solutions and slides and samples are ready to be used, and that the equipment which will be used during the testing and sample analysis is operating correctly. They also collect and record all the data involving the experiments and tests so that it can be correlated later and made into reports for further study.
Some of the tests that are conducted include tests on everything from blood to urine to spinal fluids or in tissue samples, anything that could help a doctor discover the cause of a person’s illness or provide information to help them get better quickly. Many of the tests involve comparing one person’s results against group or ‘control’ tests that have been done previously so as to determine the normalcy (or abnormality ) of a particular individual’s results.
Becoming a medical technologist requires at the minimum an associate’s degree in biological sciences, though it is preferred by many employers that the person being hired have a bachelor’s degree. While someone with an associate’s degree can be trained, going to school for an extra two years will show your future employer that you are serious in your determination to work in this field, and that you have the experience necessary to begin working right away without extensive training.
During the coursework and training involved in preparing to work in this field, the student may very well discover that there is a particular area of that they are interested in. Perhaps they like working in the blood bank, or maybe Chemistry is their forte. They may enjoy histology or even hematology. Over time it is possible to take advanced classes in one or another of these areas so that you can prove your knowledge in the area and work solely in the sub-field of your choice.
The monetary compensation for this kind of job depends a great deal on the area that you are working in as well as who you are working for. While the average pay is about $43,000 per year, entry level jobs may start much lower (closer to $22,000) and those with years’ worth of experience or more education may find themselves making upwards to $60,000 depending on their location.
While a medical technologist does not work directly with the public, they are a very necessary part of the medical community, and for those who are better working on their own or not directly with the patients, this could be an excellent way to contribute to people’s health without having to treat them individually.
