What Does a Medical Laboratory Technician Do?
When a doctor orders a blood count or a culture, the lab result can decide whether treatment starts that afternoon or whether it waits another day. Medical laboratory technicians run many of those tests, analyzing blood, urine and other samples on automated analyzers and under the microscope. Hospital labs employ most of them, and others work in clinics, physician offices and reference labs, usually under a medical technologist.
Also known as: Medical Lab Technician
Medical Laboratory Technician Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a medical laboratory technician include:
- Run blood, urine and body fluid samples on chemistry, hematology and urinalysis analyzers.
- Perform quality control runs at the start of each shift and act on failed controls.
- Examine blood smears and urine sediment under the microscope and flag abnormal cells.
- Type and crossmatch blood for transfusion under blood bank procedures.
- Plate and read microbiology cultures and set up routine sensitivity tests.
- Verify results, phone critical values to nurses or physicians and document each call.
- Receive, label and process specimens and reject samples that fail acceptance rules.
- Maintain and troubleshoot analyzers, centrifuges and pipettes, logging all service.
- Record results and quality data in the laboratory information system.
- Draw blood when needed and follow safety rules for biohazards and sharps.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a medical laboratory technician, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- MLT (ASCP) certification
- Automated analyzers in chemistry and hematology
- Microscopy for smears and urine sediment
- Quality control rules and CLIA requirements
- Laboratory information systems such as Epic Beaker or Sunquest
- Accuracy under pressure on urgent (stat) tests
- Biohazard and infection control practice
- Clear, prompt reporting of critical results
Education and Training
A degree alone isn't likely to land a hospital job if you're uneasy around needles and biohazards, but if you're one of several new graduates applying, MLT (ASCP) certification can be what prompts a lab manager to call you and offer a start date. Several states also license lab staff. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for the wider lab group, which mainly reflects the technologists in it. Many technicians earn it later to move up.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $47,650 - $81,450 per year, with a median of $62,930.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians.
The BLS outlook for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians calls for growth of about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. In fact, the group should see roughly 20,800 openings a year, according to BLS, as many longtime lab staff retire. Hospitals often struggle to staff evening and night shifts, so a new technician willing to work them usually has more choice.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians.