To pick up a new career is seriously a difficult task. It is more difficult in case if you are completely jumping off to a new field. The question that always pops-up into the mind that, are you ready for a change which is new to you? How can you get the exact answer from yourself is seriously an important thing. On the other hand, for beginners it is not that complicated. They can opt for a career, complete their study on it and can look for jobs. A medical laboratory technician profile is very common these days. Many job seekers are looking for this career option.
If you have an interest in healthcare, there are many career options to choose from. One among them is medical laboratory technician. It is one of the integral parts of the medical team and hence there are various opportunities.
During the course of medical laboratory technician, you will have to monitor various treatments, assist diagnose diseases, test samples, keep record of the blood cells of the patients and lots more. You will have use computers, microscopes and all other important equipments to complete any task.
Apart from these there are many things for which you need to prepare yourself. You can only become a good medical laboratory technician if:
You wish to be in the healthcare industry with little patient contact
A medical laboratory technician actually works behind the scenes, not completely but majorly. Definitely you will have close contact with the patients as you have to collect their blood or urine samples. Then in the lab, you have to analyse the fluids and tissues to find out the exact cause of the disease.
You possess excellent communication skills
Communication skills for a lab technician are very essential. Although most of the tasks are completed within the lab, you are still a part of the medical team. Here, you need to interact and consult with a number of people every single day. They may be your patients, doctors or any other individuals. Therefore, strong communication is highly required in this profession.
You love multi-tasking
Each day you have to deal with various tasks. You have to take multiple tests on several equipments for many patients. According to the doctor’s prescription, you may have to check the white blood count of any patient or conduct a urinalysis. Therefore, you have to be multi-tasking and full of energy and patience.
The daily routine depends completely on the place where you are going to work. There is no fixed task for it and especially the smaller hospitals prefer to hire staff with multi-tasking abilities.
You have interest in science
Medical laboratory technicians mainly have a strong background in biology, physiology and chemistry. You must have the knowledge of tissues and cells and understand the chemical compositions along with their interactions perfectly.
The knowledge of these things is exciting for those candidates who are willing to opt for this career. Well, don’t get worried as you are obviously not expected to be an expert from day one. You are given proper training focusing on all the parameters. As a MLT, it will be fascinating to know what antibodies, bacteria and viral strains that are affecting the human body, and more importantly the antibiotics that will help destroy it.
A stable career is what you seek over everything else
For many stability and security is important over everything else while making a choice for the job. If you are one of those who seek peace of mind and work-life balance more than the money than applying to a lab technician job is the right choice to make. As per the statistics provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical Lab Technician jobs are going to increase at quicker-than-average rate of 18 percent through 2024. With more and more people aging and the lifestyle issues also increasing by every passing day, this is certainly going to prove a trigger for more MLTs to conduct tests and diagnostics. Even the adolescent and less elderly are becoming more health conscious and therefore as a precautionary measure undergoing tests to detect diseases like type 2 diabetes, Sugar, BP or cancer.
You have an eye for detail
Not everyone pays the same attention to the minute details. But if you are a sucker for the smallest details and want everything to be precise and accurate then you will do a good job as a medical lab technologist. Their everyday work involves compiling, categorizing, and calculating their findings to help doctors make the right diagnosis about patient’s disease. Missing even a small detail could lead to a wrong diagnosis, prognosis and medication. You can only imagine the huge implication it would have on the patient’s health. Thus, be sure, the role of medical laboratory technologist is of great responsibility.