1. Diagnostic Detectives: Medical Laboratory Professionals
A Closer Look at Careers in Medical Laboratory Science

2. When your doctor orders “lab tests” do you know…..
Who collects and processes your blood sample?
Phlebotomists / Lab Assistants
Who analyzes blood and body fluid samples in a variety of laboratories?
Medical Laboratory Technicians Medical Laboratory Scientists

3. Medical Laboratory Facts
A behind-the-scenes, highly skilled team of pathologists, specialists, scientists, and technicians work together to provide valuable data needed to:
determine the presence or absence of disease
evaluate the effectiveness of treatment
maintain health
Also called Clinical Pathology and Anatomic Pathology.

4. Medical Laboratory Facts
Clinical laboratory professionals generate data to assist physicians in the detection of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, infectious mono, bacterial and viral infections, and drugs of abuse.
80% of all physician decisions are based on laboratory test results produced by the laboratory team.

5. Clinical Pathology Performs testing on blood and body fluids.
Sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and technology
Computers
Methods requiring manual dexterity
Thousands of tests

6. Careers in the Clinical Pathology Laboratory
Phlebotomist
Laboratory Assistant
Medical Laboratory Scientist
Medical Laboratory Technician
Supervisor/Manager/Educator
Technical Specialist (PhD)
Pathologist (MD or DO)

7. Other Job Opportunities
Hospital laboratories
Reference laboratories
Physician office laboratories
State Department of Health
Fertility clinics
Pharmaceutical / Biotech industry
Veterinary laboratories
Forensic laboratories

8. Daily Routine Phlebotomist Specimen Collection Laboratory Assistant
Specimen Processing and Pre-Analytic Functions
Medical Laboratory Technician and Medical Laboratory Scientist
May be a Generalist (working in all lab sections) or a Specialist (work in one lab)
Specimen Analysis (automated or manual)
Instrument Maintenance
Quality Control Procedures
Result Review

9. Typical Clinical Pathology Laboratory Sections:
Hematology
Coagulation
Chemistry
Toxicology
Immunology
Transfusion Medicine (Blood Bank)
Histocompatibility Testing
Medical Microbiology
Molecular Pathology
Flow Cytometry

10. Photo Tour of a Clinical Pathology Laboratory

11. Phlebotomy
The phlebotomist collects blood samples from patients - young and old.

12. Specimen Processing
Laboratory assistants receive and prepare blood and body fluid specimens for testing.

13. Hematology Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Technician Performing blood cell counts on automated instrument interfaced with the computer

14. Hematology Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientist reviewing blood cell morphology under the microscope to detect the presence of certain anemias, leukemias, or lymphomas.

15. Hematology Laboratory
Normal Lymphocyte
Leukemic Blasts & Lymphocyte
Reactive Lymphocyte

16. Coagulation Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientist performing tests that determine the presence of a bleeding or clotting disorder.

17. Chemistry Laboratory
Technicians and scientists analyze blood serum for hundreds of biochemical elements that reflect cardiac, liver, renal, endocrine and acid/base function.
Example tests include glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, heart and liver enzymes.

18. Chemistry Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientists monitor instrument quality control data and review patient results before releasing the information to the physician.

19. Toxicology Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientists utilize immunoassay and thin layer chromatography methods to analyze urine specimens for therapeutic drugs as well as drugs of abuse.

20. Urinalysis Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Technicians and Medical Laboratory Scientists use manual and automated methods to analyze urine for elements such as glucose, protein, ketones, bilirubin, pH, abnormal cells and chemical crystals.

21. Immunology Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientists and Medical Laboratory Technicians perform tests on serum to detect antibody production in response to various infections and disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, hepatitis, herpes, and allergies.

22. Transfusion Medicine Laboratory (Blood Bank)
Medical Laboratory Scientists perform ABO and Rh typing, antibody screening, and crossmatching to determine safe donor blood for a transfusion of a patient.

23. Transfusion Medicine Laboratory (Blood Bank)
Medical Laboratory Scientists check the paperwork for correct information before releasing the unit of blood to be transfused.

24. Histocompatibility Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientist perform serological typing of white blood cells for HLA antigens to determine:
if a donor organ or bone marrow is a good match for transplantation into a recipient.
certain disease associations

25. Microbiology Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientists use various culture techniques to determine which bacteria, virus or fungus might be causing illness.

26. Microbiology Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Scientists perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing on bacterial isolates to determine what antibiotics will be effective in treating the infection.

27. Molecular Pathology Lab
Medical Laboratory Scientists extract and amplify the DNA from various samples.

28. Molecular Pathology Lab
The DNA or RNA nucleic acid sequences are then studied for:
unique sequences of various bacterial, fungal or viral organisms
defective genes found in inherited disease such as cystic fibrosis
mutations in certain cancer cells

29. Flow Cytometry Lab
Medical Laboratory Scientists use a flow cytometer to detect:
abnormal cell surface markers found in leukemia and lymphoma
lymphocyte subsets in HIV infection.

30. More Information… Education & Training Certification
Career Advancement
Wages and Job Outlook

31. Education, Training, and Certification

32. Phlebotomy Technician
High School diploma or GED
Good communication skills
Formal course in Phlebotomy preferred
Occupational Endorsement Certificate (OEC) offered at UAA- 9 credits; On-campus and Distance Delivered
Clinical training required
Certification recommended (after one year work experience or formal clinical training in accredited program): PBT (ASCP)
Work in hospitals, physician offices, home health care, clinics, insurance companies

33. Lab Assistant (Clinical Assistant)
High School
Didactic courses in Lab Skills and Computer Applications also preferred
Occupational Endorsement Certificate (OEC) offered at UAA- 20 credits; Distance Delivered
On the job clinical training
Work in hospitals, commercial reference laboratories, research labs

34. Medical Laboratory Technician
Associate degree
8 semester hours of both biology and chemistry (with labs)
Math and Computer Applications
Courses in Clinical Hematology/Hemostasis, Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry, and Immunohematology
Completion of a NAACLS accredited MLT program
UAA NAACLS Accredited AAS in Medical Laboratory Technology credits
National certification: MLT (ASCP

35. Medical Laboratory Scientist
Bachelor’s degree
16 semester hours of both chemistry and biology (with labs)
Math (algebra) and computer applications
Courses in biochemistry, statistics, physics, genetics, general microbiology recommended
Courses in Clinical Hematology, Immunohematology, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry
Completion of a NAACLS accredited MLT program
UAA NAACLS Accredited S in Medical Laboratory Science credits
National certification: MLS (ASCP)

36. Career Advancement

37. Supervisor/Manager
Senior laboratory scientists with an interest in management play an important role in coordinating laboratory operations, staffing, and finances.

38. Educator
Senior Laboratory Scientist (Masters Degree) with an interest in education train new employees and share their knowledge with the next generation of professionals.
Clinical Laboratory Educator and Students

39. Technical Specialist Technical Specialists (PhDs) function as:
laboratory section technical directors
researchers
consultants to a patient’s physician.
PhD Technical Specialist and a Supervisor

40. Doctorate Clinical Laboratory Science
A DCLS can contribute to the inter- professional health care team as:
Experts in clinical laboratory testing
Partners with clinical pathology to serve as consultants involved in clinical rounding and patient care
Promoters of quality healthcare through appropriate cost-effective utilization of clinical laboratory services
Advocates of patient safety by contributing to the reduction of medical errors

41. Careers in Anatomic Pathology Laboratory

42. Histotechnologist
Histotechnologists prepare tissue samples, or biopsies that Pathologists look at to spot tiny imperfections in cells.
Need steady hands to slice tiny, paper-thin sections of tissue and apply special stains so that cells can be viewed under the microscope.
Completion of a NAACLS accredited Histology program
Bachelor of Science Degree
National certification: HTL (ASCP)

43. Cytotechnologist
Cytotechnologists use microscopes to pinpoint diseases and infections, all the way down to a single cells. For example: Pap Smears
Completion of an accredited Cytotechnologist program
Bachelor of Science Degree
National certification: CT (ASCP)
Average Salary: $61,235

44. Pathologist’s Assistant
Pathologist’s Assistant helps surgeons in the operating room find cancer in organ tissue and assists with autopsies
Need high attention to detail and ability to touch cadavers
Completion of an NAACLS accredited Pathologist’s Assistant program
BS or MS
National certification: PA (ASCP)
Average Salary: $74,922

45. Clinical and Anatomic Pathologist
Pathologists (MDs or DOs) function as laboratory directors and consultants to patient physicians.
Pathologist and a Medical Technologist

46. Average Wages
Profession
Average Salary
Phlebotomist
$28,080
Medical Laboratory Technician
$40,768
Medical Laboratory Scientist
$54,413
Pathologist
$247,013
Source: ASCP Preliminary 2010 Wage Survey of U.S. Clinical Laboratories, Lab Medicine March 2011;42(3);

47. Certifying Agencies American Society for Clinical Pathology -
Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR)
Box 12277
Chicago, IL
National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel, Inc. (NCA)
P.O. Box
Lenexa, KS

48. Summary If you... are fascinated by science
like to solve puzzles and problems
enjoy mysteries
like challenge and responsibility
are accurate and reliable
work well under pressure
communicate well and
set high standards for yourself ….

49. then… consider a career in Medical Laboratory Science !!
Summary
then… consider a career in Medical Laboratory Science !!