Medical Technologists
Overview
Introduction
Medical technologists, also called clinical laboratory technologists and medical laboratory scientists, are health professionals whose jobs include many health care roles. They perform laboratory tests essential to the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. They work under the direction of laboratory managers and pathologists. Approximately 331,700 medical and clinical laboratory technologists are employed in the United States.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
In January 2020, Salary.com reported the average annual salary for medical technologists was $69,949. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that median annual earnings of clinical laboratory technologists were $52,330 in May 2018. Salaries ranged from less than $29,910 to more than $80,330. The annual mean earnings of those who worked in hospitals were $55,040; and those in medical and diagnosti...
Work Environment
Medical laboratory personnel usually work a 35- to 40-hour week, with night or weekend duty often required in hospitals. However, with the current staff shortage, overtime in some facilities has become common, with required amounts of overtime hours assigned to staff.
Medical technologists must exercise meticulous care in their work to avoid risk of exposure to diseases or contamination ...
Outlook
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of medical and clinical laboratory technologists is expected to grow by 11 percent, much faster than the average for all careers, through 2028. Although hospitals will continue to be the major employer of medical technologists, nonhospital medical and diagnostic laboratories, offices of physicians, and blood and organ banks will offer the be...