What are the steps to take in order to have a career in Medical Technology? ?
Thursday, February 25th, 2010I am currently working on my Bachelor’s degree in Biology and I want to be a medical technologist. The college I am going to doesn’t have a specific Med. Tech track so what are the steps I need to take in order to have the best chances of getting a good job as a Medical Technologist?
You will definately need to become certified through one of multiple certifying bodies, and it’s best to complete a clinical internship in medical technology/clinical laboratory science approved by NAACLS (usually a 45-52 week program) in order to prepare you for a national board certifying examination. With a bachelor’s degree in the biological sciences and the appropriate prerequisites you can apply to any school of medical technology (internship) that has a "4+1" option – the four refers to an already obtained degree plus a 1 year (50 week) clinical internship. A lot of MT interns in the medical technology degree program apply as "3+1" students and use the internship as their senior year. The program prepares you to sit for and pass a certifying examination in medical technology/clinical laboratory science through either ASCP (The American Society of Clinical Pathology), NCA (National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel) or AMT (American Medical Technologists). Check with your local college, university or hospital to find the best MT school in your area. See the link below for the different qualifying routes for the ASCP certification (ASCP is the most widely accepted in the U.S.).
I am going for Med Tech. You need a 1 year internship and need to pass a test after by the ASCP.
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_technologist
My school program—> look at degree in clinical laboratory science
http://www.wiu.edu/catalog/programs/biology.php
You will definately need to become certified through one of multiple certifying bodies, and it’s best to complete a clinical internship in medical technology/clinical laboratory science approved by NAACLS (usually a 45-52 week program) in order to prepare you for a national board certifying examination. With a bachelor’s degree in the biological sciences and the appropriate prerequisites you can apply to any school of medical technology (internship) that has a "4+1" option – the four refers to an already obtained degree plus a 1 year (50 week) clinical internship. A lot of MT interns in the medical technology degree program apply as "3+1" students and use the internship as their senior year. The program prepares you to sit for and pass a certifying examination in medical technology/clinical laboratory science through either ASCP (The American Society of Clinical Pathology), NCA (National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel) or AMT (American Medical Technologists). Check with your local college, university or hospital to find the best MT school in your area. See the link below for the different qualifying routes for the ASCP certification (ASCP is the most widely accepted in the U.S.).
References :
MT (ASCP)
http://www.ascp.org/FunctionalNavigation/certification/GetCertified/TechnologistCertification.aspx