Lab Technician Schools: Figuring Everything Out

By Sharyn Genre


Medical lab technicians are responsible for the preparation of specimens such as blood, stool, and urine and conducting laboratory procedures for the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of many diseases. For those who wish to embark on this fast-growing career, enrollment in an accredited training program is the primary requirement. Training programs are usually available in vocational/technical schools, community colleges, and laboratory technician schools as well.

Laboratory technician schools are an excellent choice when it comes to receiving lab technician training and education. Although there are some who learn on-the-job, taking a two-year associate's degree program is usually the most effective route in becoming a lab technician. You can expect to take up subjects such as chemistry, biological science, microbiology, mathematics and statistics. A four-year bachelor's degree program is also available for aspiring lab technologists.

Inside laboratory technician schools, you will be properly trained in routine lab tasks which include microbiological, cellular and chemical analysis of body fluids. Training is also given on conducting test procedures in urinalysis, hematology, blood banking, microbiology, clinical chemistry, and serology. As compared to lab technologists, lab technicians perform less complex lab procedures and therefore undergo less education and training.

One must be careful to check as to whether the training programs offered by laboratory technician schools are properly accredited by regulatory bodies such as the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), and the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). Enrolling in an accredited training program ensures you with a high-quality education and training.

When choosing between a myriad of laboratory technician schools, you may want to personally visit the schools in order to make specific inquiries. Besides accreditation, try inquiring about a school's admission requirements, tuition fees, class structure, success rate of their graduates, and if they are providing supervised clinical experience. If you are worried about your budget, there are also schools which offer financial aid and you may inquire about that as well.

Depending on the state where you plan to get employed, certification may or may not be required. You can check the websites of reputable organizations such as the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) to check for certification requirements. Laboratory technician schools can help prepare you not only for the duties and responsibilities that await you as a medical lab technician, but also in getting certification as well.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment