Medical Technology School Programs

Online medical technology school programs bring together technology and medicine in order to improve health care. Medical technologists are part of medical laboratory careers.

As noted by the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP), medical technologists perform various tasks including simple blood tests, to more complex tests to uncover diseases. When physicians and other health care professionals order laboratory exams to assess patients' health, a medical technologist is responsible for the analysis of specimens collected. They examine then using microscopes and chemical tests to then report them to the medical professional for diagnosis. Medical laboratory technologists are also referred to as clinical laboratory technologists. There are several categories of medical technicians including radiologic technicians, ultrasound technicians, sonographers, and clinical laboratory technicians. Usually they do not interact directly with patients, but physicians rely on the information provided by medical technologists for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment of patients.

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Medical Technology Education and Training

Most entry-level medical lab technology careers require at least an associate or bachelor degree. Radiologic technicians and sonographers often have at least an associate degree while clinical laboratory technicians often have a bachelor degree.

Students are required to take theory and lab classes in areas that may include: Organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, clinical chemistry, biology, microbiology and bacteriology, immunology and hematology, cytotechnology and molecular biology, mathematics, anatomy and physiology, and immunohematology.

Employers generally prefer to hire medical lab technicians who are certified. Certification may be obtained once a student has graduated from an accredited program. The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) accredits programs related to clinical laboratory technology while the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredit programs that focus on specific areas in the profession.

Medical Technologist Careers

Responsibilities of medical lab technologists include:

• Conducting, bacteriological, chemical, immunologic, biological and hematological tests
• Examining specimens using microscopes
• Making cultures to reveal micro-organisms, parasites, bacteria, fungi
• Analyzing chemical content, chemical reactions and concentrations of compounds
• Typing and cross-matching samples of blood for transfusions
• Evaluating lab test results

Radiologic technicians take specialize in taking x-rays to help identify internal ailments of patients. Ultrasound technicians or sonographers use alternatives to x-rays such as sonographs and magnetic resonance imaging to examine patients’ internal conditions. Clinical laboratory technologists typically work in lab environments with samples and specimens.

Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth

The demand for health care in the United States is increasing, and health care jobs are expected to have higher than average growth rates. Radiologic technicians and clinical laboratory technologists earn about the same level of income, with median annual salaries around $50,000 while sonographers earn over $57,000 annually. Medical technology school programs are the first step toward joining this career, which according to data review reveals that medical technologists have the highest vacancy rate of all lab careers, at 10.4%.