Clinical laboratories are considered to be a healthcare facility that provide a variety of laboratory procedures that a patient’s care team can use to develop a diagnosis and create a care plan. Clinical laboratories are where blood and other bodily tissues are sent for testing and analysis. There are a number of health professionals that work in a clinical laboratory, in the following sections we will discuss them in greater detail.

Medical Laboratory Technician

Medical laboratory technicians gather collected samples from a variety of bodily fluids and blood. They prepare and process these samples, perform lab tests and analyze the results, document and log the test data into patients’ medical records, and operate an assortment of lab equipment in that process. For example, medical laboratory technicians may receive a blood sample from a phlebotomist, and then run the various tests ordered for a patient to be analyzed, then send that analysis back to their care team for evaluation. Medical laboratory technicians have a critical role in the healthcare team to help determine a patient’s diagnosis. Medical laboratory technicians are skilled in investigating and identifying clues and discovering answers that may be of great assistance to patients receiving the most appropriate treatment. Most medical laboratory technicians work in the clinical lab setting, which may appear to be behind the scenes, but the work in the clinical laboratory is very hands-on running blood samples through an automatic cell counter or using a microscope to identify whether or not a specific pathogen is growing.

Academic Requirements and Career Pathway

The academic requirements for medical laboratory technicians include earning an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science. The medical laboratory technician training will include didactic – classroom training, as well as hands-on clinical training in the laboratory setting.

Upon successfully completing a medical laboratory degree program, the student is eligible to challenge the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) medical laboratory technician certificate exam (ASCP Board of Certification, n.d).

The career pathway for medical laboratory technicians allows for individuals to earn specialty credentials. Some of the specialty areas that one can certify in include cytologist, hematologist, microbiology, molecular biology, blood banking, and chemistry. These specialty credentials have a narrow branch into specific areas of medical laboratory science. Individuals who are interested in pursuing management or leadership positions in the clinical laboratory can earn advanced degrees.

Phlebotomist

A phlebotomist is a healthcare professional who is trained to perform phlebotomy (blood draws) or venipuncture. The blood can then be used for a variety of tests or donation. A phlebotomist is responsible for preparing patients for the blood draw procedure, which may involve educating the patient on what takes place during the procedure. They are responsible for ensuring that the blood draw site is clean to prevent infection, they ensure that the vials that are used to collect the blood are then properly labeled so that they can be analyzed, they are responsible for storing and tracking blood samples that may be sent out to another facility for testing. Phlebotomists can work in a variety of settings that include hospitals, medical offices, blood donation centers, laboratories, skilled-nursing facilities, and long-term care facilities.

Academic Requirements and Career Pathway

The academic requirements for a phlebotomist generally include a certificate of completion from a phlebotomy program. Additional education and/or certifications may be required.

Attributions

1. Figure 7.8: image released under the Pexels License
2. Figure 7.9: image released under the Pexels License