Entry # 2 The 5 most exciting things about working in a La

#1 widely unknown/unseen but important

Med techs are widely unknown when it comes to thinking about the healthcare experience. When people go to the doctor, they generally see a nurse and the doctor, and maybe another sort of patient care tech and that’s it. When you get lab work done you likely see the phlebotomist draw your blood and then sometime down the road your physician calls with the results but what happens in between getting blood drawn and the doctor calling? Who handles the blood specimens? The answer to that is the team of healthcare professionals working in the laboratory known as medical technologists or medical lab scientists. According to the American Society for Clinical Pathology approximately 70% of a physicians healthcare decisions are based on laboratory results. This means that the quality of work and accuracy of the data provided to healthcare practitioners directly affect patient outcomes. So, the best thing about working in a lab is that everyday the work that gets done is helping physicians make patients lives better and assisting in the detection, prevention, and monitoring of diseases.

#2 Everyday is a surprise

No two people are alike and no two illnesses are alike either. Every person in the hospital is a puzzle and it can be challenging to figure out what exactly is going on. For example, a tech might have a blood sample that needs to be looked at under the microscope. The first thing they do is count 100 white blood cells. White blood cells have many different types and correctly identifying them by how they look can be difficult. After counting they might notice that a certain percentage of the cells were abnormal.

Problem solving is very real in any lab science as most results don’t always come out as expected and it’s up to these scientists to figure out why and to report what they find to the patients doctor.

#3 Job security and pay

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics Medical Laboratory technician’s median wages (at the associate level) are around $20 per hour nationally and at the bachelor’s level around $30 per hour median salary. Click here for the BLS site

In addition to pay, this career field is also in great shortage. There is an estimated 16% growth rate. Also, it is predicted that the amount of jobs needed to be filled exceeds the amount of graduates produced each year.

#4 working with amazing technology

Okay, the MOST fun part of it lab work is the AMAZING technology scientists have to work with.

There are devices that can detect different levels of chemical in the blood. Things like enzymes, electrolytes and proteins. There are also analyzers that can rapidly count and classify cells and machines that help determine how quickly a patients blood will clot.

These advancements in technology allow for quicker more reliable testing that helps patients have shorter stays and it also prevents delays in treatment.

The following article is a great read for anyone interested in the advancement of medical technology.
Trending technology.

#5 The people you work with are anything but normal

People who work in the lab are quirky, unusual and funny. They are the ones that make every day an adventure and they keep the job interesting and entertaining. Take a look at the following video to see what exactly lab scientists are like in their native environment.