Medical Laboratory Technician Salary
Do you want to work in the health care field and help others live a better life, but don’t think a career as a doctor or nurse is right for you? When this is the case, you may wish to consider becoming a medical laboratory technician. Patients often require medical devices in order to lead a full life and your work as a technician in this field makes this goal easy for them to achieve. Your job will involve fitting, maintaining and repairing medical appliances of all kinds. This may range from braces and artificial limbs to hearing aids. Consider the medical laboratory laboratory technician salary before determining if this career is right for you.
Medical Laboratory Technician Salary
As of May 2008, the median annual wage of a medical laboratory technician was $34,460. Those in the lowest ten percent brought in a medical laboratory technician salary of less than $21,720 while those making the top ten percent could bring in more than $63,750. If you choose to branch out into dental or ophthalmic lab work, your pay will vary slightly. The choice is completely up to you. No matter which area you choose to work in, you will find this to be a rewarding career as you help others to lead a full life with the help of these devices.
Medical Laboratory Technician Training and Education
In order to work in this field, you will need a minimum of a high school diploma. No other formal training or education is required to work in this field. On-the-job training is provided and you will start on the ground floor and work your way up as your skills improve. The length of time required to learn these new skills varies from person to person and laboratory to laboratory. If you choose to pursue formal training, five programs accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education were offered as of 2008. These programs offered either a one year certificate program or an associate degree.
Medical Laboratory Technician License or Certification
Medical laboratory technicians do not need to undergo any licensing or certification procedure. Only those who choose to work in a dental lab will be required to complete certification of this type. This is only required in three states also. A fourth state, Florida, be completed requires that continuing education in some instances.
Job Growth Outlook For Medical Laboratory Technicians
Medical laboratory technicians are looking at a pretty fast rate of job growth over the next several years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics they are expected to experience a growth rate of 16% which is quite a bit faster than the average job growth in the United States. These figures were projected for between 2008-2018.
While hospitals will remain the biggest employers of medical lab technicians, more and more job openings will pop up in areas like medical and diagnostic labs as well as physicians offices. Be sure to look online for information on certification, training and education opportunities. This is a fast growing career path with a solid salary base. Good luck!
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