A lab technician is a medical professional who conducts lab tests on specimens and records and reports the results.
Learn more about what lab technicians do and how to become one.
What Is a Lab Technician?
A lab technician collects and processes specimens, including skin and bodily fluid samples, from patients in a hospital or private medical diagnostic laboratory. They work under a doctor’s, lab manager’s, or lab technologist’s supervision to conduct chemical analyses of specimens. These analyses are used by medical professionals to diagnose diseases and plan treatments.
Alternate names: Medical lab technician, lab techAcronyms: LT, MLT
How a Lab Technician Works
Lab technicians have a variety of responsibilities, including:
Preparing solutionsAnalyzing samplesCollecting and analyzing data and test resultsDiscussing findings with medical personnelMaintaining lab equipment
Lab technicians come into contact with infectious specimens and toxic chemicals, so they must take the proper precautions, including wearing protective clothing and eyewear, to decrease their exposure to these dangerous substances. Accuracy and attention to detail are critical in this work.
Lab technicians earned a median annual salary of $52,330 in 2018. The job outlook for lab technicians and lab technologists is bright, with an 11% growth expected from 2018 to 2028.
Employers may include hospitals, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and physicians’ offices. Most jobs are full-time and, depending on the employer, may include weekends, evenings, and holidays.
Requirements for a Lab Technician
To work in this occupation, you can complete an associate’s degree program in clinical laboratory science at a community college, which will take about two years. Typical coursework for a lab technician includes chemistry, phlebotomy, hematology, and microbiology.
Alternatively, you can earn a one-year certificate from a hospital or a vocational or technical school. The Armed Forces also offer training for lab technicians.
Once you’ve completed your degree, certificate, or training, you may want to sit for an American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification exam. Employers may not require certification, but attaining it speaks highly to your skills and expertise.
Some states may also require a license. Your education program, state health department, or state board of professional licensing can help you determine whether you need a license.
Required Skills
You will acquire the hard skills that allow you to do your job through your formal training, but lab technicians also need certain soft skills, which are harder to quantify. They include:
Active listening: The ability to understand the instructions of lab technicians, doctors, and other medical personnel is essential. Reading comprehension: Lab technicians must be able to read and understand instructions. Written and verbal communication: Writing reports and explaining results are a critical aspect of being a lab technician. Critical thinking: Lab techs must be able to compare the benefits of different solutions to problems before choosing the best one. Organization: Juggling multiple tasks and priorities requires excellent organization and time management skills.
Lab Technologist vs. Lab Technician
Medical laboratory technologists and laboratory technicians are related occupations that are easily confused. However, educational preparation and duties differ considerably for these two jobs. Technologists must earn a bachelor’s degree and have more extensive training and theoretical knowledge than technicians, who only need an associate degree.
Technicians collect, process, and analyze specimens. They perform lab procedures and maintain instruments. Technologists have these skills, plus additional ones like evaluating and interpreting challenging results, conducting research, developing new laboratory methods and procedures, and supervising technicians.
Lab Technicians vs. Tab Technologists
Lab Technicians Lab Technologists
Need an associate degree or certification Need a bachelor’s degree
Perform lab tests under the supervision of lab technologists and other medical personnel Have a supervisory and authoritative role in laboratories
Key Takeaways
Lab technicians collect and process specimens, reporting results to medical personnel. Typical responsibilities include preparing solutions, analyzing samples, and maintaining lab equipment. To become a lab technician, you need an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational school, or the Armed Forces. You may also want to obtain certification. Lab technicians are different from lab technologists, who need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and often have supervisory roles in a lab.
What Is a Medical Laboratory Technologist?
What Does a Medical Laboratory Specialist (68K) Do?
What Does a Lab Animal Technician Do?
What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?
What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?
Health Technologists and Technicians
What Does an Ultrasound Technician Do?
Important Job Skills for Phlebotomists With a Resume Example
What Does a Physician Assistant (PA) Do?
Cardiovascular Technologist
Careers Working With Animals
STEM Careers
What Does a Nuclear Medicine Technologist Do?
What Does an Emergency & Critical Care Vet Tech Do?
Apprenticeship Jobs
What Does an Environmental Technician Do?
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A lab technician is a medical professional who conducts lab tests on specimens and records and reports the results.
Learn more about what lab technicians do and how to become one.
What Is a Lab Technician?
A lab technician collects and processes specimens, including skin and bodily fluid samples, from patients in a hospital or private medical diagnostic laboratory. They work under a doctor’s, lab manager’s, or lab technologist’s supervision to conduct chemical analyses of specimens. These analyses are used by medical professionals to diagnose diseases and plan treatments.
Alternate names: Medical lab technician, lab techAcronyms: LT, MLT
How a Lab Technician Works
Lab technicians have a variety of responsibilities, including:
Preparing solutionsAnalyzing samplesCollecting and analyzing data and test resultsDiscussing findings with medical personnelMaintaining lab equipment
Lab technicians come into contact with infectious specimens and toxic chemicals, so they must take the proper precautions, including wearing protective clothing and eyewear, to decrease their exposure to these dangerous substances. Accuracy and attention to detail are critical in this work.
Lab technicians earned a median annual salary of $52,330 in 2018. The job outlook for lab technicians and lab technologists is bright, with an 11% growth expected from 2018 to 2028.
Employers may include hospitals, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and physicians’ offices. Most jobs are full-time and, depending on the employer, may include weekends, evenings, and holidays.
Requirements for a Lab Technician
To work in this occupation, you can complete an associate’s degree program in clinical laboratory science at a community college, which will take about two years. Typical coursework for a lab technician includes chemistry, phlebotomy, hematology, and microbiology.
Alternatively, you can earn a one-year certificate from a hospital or a vocational or technical school. The Armed Forces also offer training for lab technicians.
Once you’ve completed your degree, certificate, or training, you may want to sit for an American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification exam. Employers may not require certification, but attaining it speaks highly to your skills and expertise.
Some states may also require a license. Your education program, state health department, or state board of professional licensing can help you determine whether you need a license.
Required Skills
You will acquire the hard skills that allow you to do your job through your formal training, but lab technicians also need certain soft skills, which are harder to quantify. They include:
Active listening: The ability to understand the instructions of lab technicians, doctors, and other medical personnel is essential. Reading comprehension: Lab technicians must be able to read and understand instructions. Written and verbal communication: Writing reports and explaining results are a critical aspect of being a lab technician. Critical thinking: Lab techs must be able to compare the benefits of different solutions to problems before choosing the best one. Organization: Juggling multiple tasks and priorities requires excellent organization and time management skills.
Lab Technologist vs. Lab Technician
Medical laboratory technologists and laboratory technicians are related occupations that are easily confused. However, educational preparation and duties differ considerably for these two jobs. Technologists must earn a bachelor’s degree and have more extensive training and theoretical knowledge than technicians, who only need an associate degree.
Technicians collect, process, and analyze specimens. They perform lab procedures and maintain instruments. Technologists have these skills, plus additional ones like evaluating and interpreting challenging results, conducting research, developing new laboratory methods and procedures, and supervising technicians.
Lab Technicians vs. Tab Technologists
Lab Technicians Lab Technologists
Need an associate degree or certification Need a bachelor’s degree
Perform lab tests under the supervision of lab technologists and other medical personnel Have a supervisory and authoritative role in laboratories
Key Takeaways
Lab technicians collect and process specimens, reporting results to medical personnel. Typical responsibilities include preparing solutions, analyzing samples, and maintaining lab equipment. To become a lab technician, you need an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational school, or the Armed Forces. You may also want to obtain certification. Lab technicians are different from lab technologists, who need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and often have supervisory roles in a lab.
What Is a Medical Laboratory Technologist?
What Does a Medical Laboratory Specialist (68K) Do?
What Does a Lab Animal Technician Do?
What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?
What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?
Health Technologists and Technicians
What Does an Ultrasound Technician Do?
Important Job Skills for Phlebotomists With a Resume Example
What Does a Physician Assistant (PA) Do?
Cardiovascular Technologist
Careers Working With Animals
STEM Careers
What Does a Nuclear Medicine Technologist Do?
What Does an Emergency & Critical Care Vet Tech Do?
Apprenticeship Jobs
What Does an Environmental Technician Do?
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
A lab technician is a medical professional who conducts lab tests on specimens and records and reports the results.
Learn more about what lab technicians do and how to become one.
What Is a Lab Technician?
A lab technician collects and processes specimens, including skin and bodily fluid samples, from patients in a hospital or private medical diagnostic laboratory. They work under a doctor’s, lab manager’s, or lab technologist’s supervision to conduct chemical analyses of specimens. These analyses are used by medical professionals to diagnose diseases and plan treatments.
Alternate names: Medical lab technician, lab techAcronyms: LT, MLT
How a Lab Technician Works
Lab technicians have a variety of responsibilities, including:
Preparing solutionsAnalyzing samplesCollecting and analyzing data and test resultsDiscussing findings with medical personnelMaintaining lab equipment
Lab technicians come into contact with infectious specimens and toxic chemicals, so they must take the proper precautions, including wearing protective clothing and eyewear, to decrease their exposure to these dangerous substances. Accuracy and attention to detail are critical in this work.
Lab technicians earned a median annual salary of $52,330 in 2018. The job outlook for lab technicians and lab technologists is bright, with an 11% growth expected from 2018 to 2028.
Employers may include hospitals, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and physicians’ offices. Most jobs are full-time and, depending on the employer, may include weekends, evenings, and holidays.
Requirements for a Lab Technician
To work in this occupation, you can complete an associate’s degree program in clinical laboratory science at a community college, which will take about two years. Typical coursework for a lab technician includes chemistry, phlebotomy, hematology, and microbiology.
Alternatively, you can earn a one-year certificate from a hospital or a vocational or technical school. The Armed Forces also offer training for lab technicians.
Once you’ve completed your degree, certificate, or training, you may want to sit for an American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification exam. Employers may not require certification, but attaining it speaks highly to your skills and expertise.
Some states may also require a license. Your education program, state health department, or state board of professional licensing can help you determine whether you need a license.
Required Skills
You will acquire the hard skills that allow you to do your job through your formal training, but lab technicians also need certain soft skills, which are harder to quantify. They include:
Active listening: The ability to understand the instructions of lab technicians, doctors, and other medical personnel is essential. Reading comprehension: Lab technicians must be able to read and understand instructions. Written and verbal communication: Writing reports and explaining results are a critical aspect of being a lab technician. Critical thinking: Lab techs must be able to compare the benefits of different solutions to problems before choosing the best one. Organization: Juggling multiple tasks and priorities requires excellent organization and time management skills.
Lab Technologist vs. Lab Technician
Medical laboratory technologists and laboratory technicians are related occupations that are easily confused. However, educational preparation and duties differ considerably for these two jobs. Technologists must earn a bachelor’s degree and have more extensive training and theoretical knowledge than technicians, who only need an associate degree.
Technicians collect, process, and analyze specimens. They perform lab procedures and maintain instruments. Technologists have these skills, plus additional ones like evaluating and interpreting challenging results, conducting research, developing new laboratory methods and procedures, and supervising technicians.
Lab Technicians vs. Tab Technologists
Lab Technicians Lab Technologists
Need an associate degree or certification Need a bachelor’s degree
Perform lab tests under the supervision of lab technologists and other medical personnel Have a supervisory and authoritative role in laboratories
Key Takeaways
Lab technicians collect and process specimens, reporting results to medical personnel. Typical responsibilities include preparing solutions, analyzing samples, and maintaining lab equipment. To become a lab technician, you need an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational school, or the Armed Forces. You may also want to obtain certification. Lab technicians are different from lab technologists, who need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and often have supervisory roles in a lab.
A lab technician is a medical professional who conducts lab tests on specimens and records and reports the results.
Learn more about what lab technicians do and how to become one.
What Is a Lab Technician?
A lab technician collects and processes specimens, including skin and bodily fluid samples, from patients in a hospital or private medical diagnostic laboratory. They work under a doctor’s, lab manager’s, or lab technologist’s supervision to conduct chemical analyses of specimens. These analyses are used by medical professionals to diagnose diseases and plan treatments.
- Alternate names: Medical lab technician, lab techAcronyms: LT, MLT
How a Lab Technician Works
Lab technicians have a variety of responsibilities, including:
- Preparing solutionsAnalyzing samplesCollecting and analyzing data and test resultsDiscussing findings with medical personnelMaintaining lab equipment
Lab technicians come into contact with infectious specimens and toxic chemicals, so they must take the proper precautions, including wearing protective clothing and eyewear, to decrease their exposure to these dangerous substances. Accuracy and attention to detail are critical in this work.
Lab technicians earned a median annual salary of $52,330 in 2018. The job outlook for lab technicians and lab technologists is bright, with an 11% growth expected from 2018 to 2028.
Employers may include hospitals, medical and diagnostic laboratories, and physicians’ offices. Most jobs are full-time and, depending on the employer, may include weekends, evenings, and holidays.
Requirements for a Lab Technician
To work in this occupation, you can complete an associate’s degree program in clinical laboratory science at a community college, which will take about two years. Typical coursework for a lab technician includes chemistry, phlebotomy, hematology, and microbiology.
Alternatively, you can earn a one-year certificate from a hospital or a vocational or technical school. The Armed Forces also offer training for lab technicians.
Once you’ve completed your degree, certificate, or training, you may want to sit for an American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification exam. Employers may not require certification, but attaining it speaks highly to your skills and expertise.
Some states may also require a license. Your education program, state health department, or state board of professional licensing can help you determine whether you need a license.
Required Skills
You will acquire the hard skills that allow you to do your job through your formal training, but lab technicians also need certain soft skills, which are harder to quantify. They include:
Some states may also require a license. Your education program, state health department, or state board of professional licensing can help you determine whether you need a license.
Some states may also require a license. Your education program, state health department, or state board of professional licensing can help you determine whether you need a license.
- Active listening: The ability to understand the instructions of lab technicians, doctors, and other medical personnel is essential.
- Reading comprehension: Lab technicians must be able to read and understand instructions.
- Written and verbal communication: Writing reports and explaining results are a critical aspect of being a lab technician.
- Critical thinking: Lab techs must be able to compare the benefits of different solutions to problems before choosing the best one.
- Organization: Juggling multiple tasks and priorities requires excellent organization and time management skills.
Lab Technologist vs. Lab Technician
Medical laboratory technologists and laboratory technicians are related occupations that are easily confused. However, educational preparation and duties differ considerably for these two jobs. Technologists must earn a bachelor’s degree and have more extensive training and theoretical knowledge than technicians, who only need an associate degree.
Technicians collect, process, and analyze specimens. They perform lab procedures and maintain instruments. Technologists have these skills, plus additional ones like evaluating and interpreting challenging results, conducting research, developing new laboratory methods and procedures, and supervising technicians.
Lab Technicians vs. Tab Technologists
Lab Technicians Lab Technologists
Need an associate degree or certification Need a bachelor’s degree
Perform lab tests under the supervision of lab technologists and other medical personnel Have a supervisory and authoritative role in laboratories
Key Takeaways
Lab technicians collect and process specimens, reporting results to medical personnel. Typical responsibilities include preparing solutions, analyzing samples, and maintaining lab equipment. To become a lab technician, you need an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational school, or the Armed Forces. You may also want to obtain certification. Lab technicians are different from lab technologists, who need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and often have supervisory roles in a lab.
Key Takeaways
Lab technicians collect and process specimens, reporting results to medical personnel. Typical responsibilities include preparing solutions, analyzing samples, and maintaining lab equipment. To become a lab technician, you need an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational school, or the Armed Forces. You may also want to obtain certification. Lab technicians are different from lab technologists, who need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and often have supervisory roles in a lab.
Key Takeaways
Lab technicians collect and process specimens, reporting results to medical personnel. Typical responsibilities include preparing solutions, analyzing samples, and maintaining lab equipment. To become a lab technician, you need an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational school, or the Armed Forces. You may also want to obtain certification. Lab technicians are different from lab technologists, who need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and often have supervisory roles in a lab.
Lab technicians collect and process specimens, reporting results to medical personnel. Typical responsibilities include preparing solutions, analyzing samples, and maintaining lab equipment. To become a lab technician, you need an associate degree or a certificate from a hospital, vocational school, or the Armed Forces. You may also want to obtain certification. Lab technicians are different from lab technologists, who need a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and often have supervisory roles in a lab.
What Is a Medical Laboratory Technologist?
What Does a Medical Laboratory Specialist (68K) Do?
What Does a Lab Animal Technician Do?
What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?
What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?
Health Technologists and Technicians
What Does an Ultrasound Technician Do?
Important Job Skills for Phlebotomists With a Resume Example
What Does a Physician Assistant (PA) Do?
Cardiovascular Technologist
Careers Working With Animals
STEM Careers
What Does a Nuclear Medicine Technologist Do?
What Does an Emergency & Critical Care Vet Tech Do?
Apprenticeship Jobs
What Does an Environmental Technician Do?
What Is a Medical Laboratory Technologist?
What Is a Medical Laboratory Technologist?
What Does a Medical Laboratory Specialist (68K) Do?
What Does a Medical Laboratory Specialist (68K) Do?
What Does a Lab Animal Technician Do?
What Does a Lab Animal Technician Do?
What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?
What Does a Veterinary Technician Do?
What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?
What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?
Health Technologists and Technicians
Health Technologists and Technicians
What Does an Ultrasound Technician Do?
What Does an Ultrasound Technician Do?
Important Job Skills for Phlebotomists With a Resume Example
Important Job Skills for Phlebotomists With a Resume Example
What Does a Physician Assistant (PA) Do?
What Does a Physician Assistant (PA) Do?
Cardiovascular Technologist
Cardiovascular Technologist
Careers Working With Animals
Careers Working With Animals
STEM Careers
STEM Careers
What Does a Nuclear Medicine Technologist Do?
What Does a Nuclear Medicine Technologist Do?
What Does an Emergency & Critical Care Vet Tech Do?
What Does an Emergency & Critical Care Vet Tech Do?
Apprenticeship Jobs
Apprenticeship Jobs
What Does an Environmental Technician Do?
What Does an Environmental Technician Do?
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
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Home
Entertainment
Careers
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Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
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Privacy Policy
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EU Privacy
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LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
