Medical Lab Technician

Medical Laboratory Technician

  1. What does a Medical Technician do?
    Medical Technicians conduct medical laboratory tests to provide information for diagnosing, treating and preventing disease. Medical Technicians are highly trained professionals who tent to specialise in one or more areas such as: haematology, immunology, cytology, virology, microbiology and histopathology.
  2. Why does a Medical Technician do this?
    Medical Technicians may be sought for technical and research positions in organisations specialising in medical research, such as the Department of Health, hospitals and medical laboratories, to conduct research into disease.
  3. How does a Medical Technician do their job?
    Medical Technicians use a range of processes, tools, techniques and equipment to execute their job. Some typical tasks include:
    • Studying blood and its diseases, counting blood cells and examining blood slides with a microscope;
    • Identifying blood diseases such as anaemia and leukaemia;
    • Determining the suitability of blood for transfusion by cross matching the blood with the patient and checking for the presence of diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS;
    • Testing blood for blood group antibodies, which may cause disease in newborn babies, and checking the compatibility of bone marrow, kidneys and other organs for transplantation;
    • Determining the chemical composition of specimens such as blood and urine, important in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease, liver disease and diabetes;
    • Growing disease-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi that are taken from a variety of clinical specimens;
    • Preparing body tissues (taken from the body during surgery or post-mortem examinations) for microscopic examination;
    • Preparing body fluids for microscopic examination and diagnosing abnormalities;
    • Isolating and examining genetic material (DNA and RNA) for alterations specific to genetic diseases and cancer, to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions;
    • Supervising the work of other scientists, technical officers and assistants;
    • Advising medical practitioners on the interpretation of tests.
  4. Where do Medical Technicians do their work?
    Medical Technicians typically spend time in the lab and the office. Medical Technicians typically work regular hours while in the office or laboratory. A 38 to 40 hour work week is usual, but longer hours may be required depending on a particular business needs or experimental requirements in the lab.
  5. Mimimum degree required
    A Bachelor of Science with a major in:
    • A Health Science-related area, such as Biochemistry or Pathology
  6. Average salary per year
    The annual median salary for a Medical Laboratory Technician is $76 752 excluding superannuation.
  7. Job outlook
    Employment for Medical Laboratory Technicians to 2018 is expected to grow very strongly
  8. Related occupations
    Microbiologist, Life Scientist, Medical Laboratory Scientist, Museum Curator and Biotechnologist.
  9. Companies that employ Medical Technicians