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Medical Lab Technologist/Scientist
Posted on 4/19/17 at 8:43 pm
Posted on 4/19/17 at 8:43 pm
Since the AMA thread got whacked, I saw where there were a few Medical Technologist here and was wondering what you think about your job? Would you do it again if you could go back? I'll be going to PRCC in August, then to eULM for MLS after graduation and bench time.
4
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:02 pm to UnderhandRabbit
I'm one. 10 years, feels like 20. Pay sucks compared to nursing with more schooling in most cases. Pro tip: get proficient in micro at the lab you get hired at and work in all areas of the lab. Don't compartmentalize yourself. We need med techs badly right now. Good luck!
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:16 pm to lsualum2003
Isn't the school easier and the work not as much of a headache as nursing though? I hear the med techs are the unsung heros that you never hear about and there are a lot more retiring than being hired, why is that? I have to admit, I never knew there were so many people behind the scene until my friend became a med tech.
Edit: the MLT at my local hospital make around $19-$20 before dif with MLS making around $25 before dif.
Edit: the MLT at my local hospital make around $19-$20 before dif with MLS making around $25 before dif.
This post was edited on 4/19/17 at 9:20 pm
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:18 pm to UnderhandRabbit
Tho its been good to me, I would not do it over. The stress is never-ending. Its probably one of the few jobs you have to be 100% correct 100% of the time. And you turn out thousands of results everyday. And you are pressured from all sides. And your fellow MTs have the same analytical personality as yours and are as boring as you. And with that personality comes the fact that if a MT ever thinks you did them wrong, they will always get even, and not care how badly they damaged you. And less qualified people are soon going to be able to work side by side with you and get the same pay. I would go into radiology or nursing if I had a second chance. MT would be my last choice. Change your field...trust me, noone has more experience in the field than me.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:22 pm to UnderhandRabbit
No the school is not easier, and I am well acquainted with both. Different personality types. One usually cannot do the other (usually). MTs are analytical to the nth degree. Nursing has to use analytics but have to insert judgements. Totally different trains of thought.
MTs essentially take the same courses as pre-med, pre-dent.
MTs essentially take the same courses as pre-med, pre-dent.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:24 pm to UnderhandRabbit
Go to ultrasound school if you don't want to be a nurse.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:26 pm to UnderhandRabbit
A lot of schools have closed so there is no supply and the demand is high. Plus what another poster said... There are a lot of MTs retiring. Salaries are going up. And the starting pay for a MT is comparable to a starting nurses pay. We also get the same evening, night, weekend and lead tech/charge nurse pay differentials. I work at a local hospital. It can be hell at times and laid back at others. Approximately 70% of a Drs diagnosis comes from the lab and radiology. We are in the background but we have important jobs. I like what I do plus we are in the process of getting all new up to date analyzers that require little maintenance and service. I have 31 years in the bizz. i like what I do. Now some of the people maybe not so much but that is true in any profession.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:28 pm to UnderhandRabbit
I had to take 6+ biology classes, 2 physics classes with labs, a biochem and 2 organic chems with lab in my program, not to mention pathophysiology and a/p and all of the med tech courses. It all depends on your program and your route, similar to nursing. I could literally write a book on lab's role in the clinical experience. We are literally the offensive line. You don't become a med tech if you feed on praise and acknowledgement from the rest of the medical community. You have to love discovery, science, cells, chemistry, repetitive motion, disease correlation with labs, etc. I've seen dead bodies in the ED from car accidents and gunshots (blood bank), and I've isolated vibrio cholera from stool in a patient in micro AND tested which antibiotics work or don't work. How many medical professionals get those opportunities in the same shift? None.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:40 pm to lsualum2003
To be honest, I want to work in the medical field but don't necessarily want the patient interaction or the standing on my feet for 12 hours like a RN. From everything I've read and heard from recent graduates, the pay is close to what a RN makes anyway with unlimited opportunities for overtime. I just couldn't understand why there is such a shortage given the pay and openings, as well as ability to do so many different jobs.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:46 pm to lsualum2003
quote:
I had to take 6+ biology classes, 2 physics classes with labs, a biochem and 2 organic chems with lab in my program, not to mention pathophysiology and a/p and all of the med tech courses. It all depends on your program and your route, similar to nursing. I could literally write a book on lab's role in the clinical experience. We are literally the offensive line. You don't become a med tech if you feed on praise and acknowledgement from the rest of the medical community. You have to love discovery, science, cells, chemistry, repetitive motion, disease correlation with labs, etc. I've seen dead bodies in the ED from car accidents and gunshots (blood bank), and I've isolated vibrio cholera from stool in a patient in micro AND tested which antibiotics work or don't work. How many medical professionals get those opportunities in the same shift? None.
Very well said! We found a case of malaria the other day. Fascinating! Had a lot of attention from the whole medical staff of the hospital.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:48 pm to UnderhandRabbit
There is a shortage because, tho its a great field, its a dieing field. RNs have recently been granted, by the fed gov, the ability to perform lab work, at all levels. Not just poct, but high complexity. Not that many will do this, but it signifies how little the field is respected. OJTs, with just high school diplomas and a little training can perform most of the lab work nowadays. True, there are some bright spots when you find a possible leukemia earlier than most would, or find a rare bacterium.......but those are very rare and far between. And its a very female dominated profession, if that matters to you.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:58 pm to jeffsdad
MT schools are closing and are being replaced by MLT programs and online studies. Older MTs are retiring and automation is the plan to fill the gaps. Pay is going up as well, but it's been behind the curve. Micro was always seen as safe, until the copan wasp and the maldi have surfaced along with microarray and PCR testing. The old school, gut feeling is being replaced by a computer, thermocyclers, and lasers. Blood bank is fully automated now. It's unfortunate for our field, but it ultimately results in better patient outcomes because of improved specificity and sensitivity.
Posted on 4/19/17 at 9:59 pm to ItalianTiger
Awesome! Gotta love them blood parasites!
Posted on 4/19/17 at 10:00 pm to UnderhandRabbit
dont bank on "unlimited opportunities for overtime"
Posted on 4/19/17 at 10:02 pm to jeffsdad
Lol, that is a fact!
Posted on 4/19/17 at 10:05 pm to UnderhandRabbit
I just recently retired after 36 years. It was a popular career choice in the late 70s/early 80s so there are a lot in my age group that are retiring now. I really enjoyed it for the first 20 years although the pay was low for the amount of schooling I had under my belt. The next 10 years were meh. And the last 6 years were unbearable. I watched the field totally transform during my tenure and not in a good way. If I was young and looking for a career I would look elsewhere.
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