What Does a Medical Technologist Do?
Lab medicine is more complicated than most patients realize and covers more than just running a sample through a machine. The results a medical technologist signs off on may confirm a routine checkup, but more importantly they guide transfusions, cancer treatment and emergency care. Their job is distinguished from a lab technician's in that technologists take on complex tests, validate methods and often lead a section of a hospital lab.
Also known as: Senior Medical Technologist
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Clinical Chemist, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS), Clinical Laboratory Technologist, Histologist Technologist, Lab Tech (Laboratory Technologist), Medical Lab Technologist (Medical Laboratory Technologist), Medical Technologist (MT), Microbiology Technologist (MT).
Medical Technologist Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a medical technologist include:
- Perform complex tests in chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and blood bank.
- Identify antibodies and select compatible blood for patients who need a transfusion.
- Review abnormal results and run follow-up tests before releasing them to physicians.
- Validate new instruments and methods and write the procedures staff will follow.
- Investigate quality control failures and decide whether patient results can be released.
- Identify bacteria and fungi in cultures and report antibiotic sensitivity results.
- Supervise and train lab technicians and students on the bench.
- Prepare for CAP, CLIA or Joint Commission inspections and proficiency testing.
- Call critical results to care teams and document who received each call.
- Troubleshoot analyzers with vendor support and keep maintenance records complete.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a medical technologist, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- MLS (ASCP) certification
- Blood bank antibody workups
- Microbiology identification and sensitivity testing
- Method validation and quality control statistics
- Laboratory information systems such as Epic Beaker or Sunquest
- State license where required, such as California or New York
- Sound judgment on when a result looks wrong
- Teaching and supervising technicians
Education and Training
Most medical technologists qualify through a bachelor's degree in medical laboratory science, but some start out by earning a biology or chemistry degree and completing a hospital-based certificate program. Employers expect MLS certification. To become a licensed clinical laboratory scientist, in a handful of states such as California and New York you will need a state license on top of certification to qualify to work.
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.
BLS projects employment of clinical laboratory technologists and technicians to grow about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. That leaves roughly 20,800 openings a year across the group, many of them in hospitals replacing retiring staff. New graduates who accept evening or night shifts are more likely to get hired fast and move to days later.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians.
Medical Technologist Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $38,910 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $47,650 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $62,930 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $81,450 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $100,990 |
Highest-Paying States for Medical Technologists
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are New York ($97,280), Oregon ($83,010), New Hampshire ($81,020), Massachusetts ($79,120), Vermont ($78,680). Pay is lowest in Utah ($49,090), Idaho ($47,450), New Mexico ($47,360).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $49,440 |
| Alaska | $60,950 |
| Arizona | $62,530 |
| Arkansas | $49,670 |
| California | $76,010 |
| Colorado | $70,050 |
| Connecticut | $65,310 |
| Delaware | $68,630 |
| District of Columbia | $76,560 |
| Florida | $60,510 |
| Georgia | $62,180 |
| Hawaii | $66,020 |
| Idaho | $47,450 |
| Illinois | $71,950 |
| Indiana | $57,080 |
| Iowa | $54,260 |
| Kansas | $62,050 |
| Kentucky | $60,880 |
| Louisiana | $54,460 |
| Maine | $68,690 |
| Maryland | $63,690 |
| Massachusetts | $79,120 |
| Michigan | $61,260 |
| Minnesota | $74,440 |
| Mississippi | $50,640 |
| Missouri | $60,300 |
| Montana | $65,190 |
| Nebraska | $60,540 |
| Nevada | $57,320 |
| New Hampshire | $81,020 |
| New Jersey | $68,450 |
| New Mexico | $47,360 |
| New York | $97,280 |
| North Carolina | $60,650 |
| North Dakota | $62,680 |
| Ohio | $63,800 |
| Oklahoma | $53,300 |
| Oregon | $83,010 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,680 |
| Rhode Island | $75,780 |
| South Carolina | $55,280 |
| South Dakota | $60,890 |
| Tennessee | $62,070 |
| Texas | $59,290 |
| Utah | $49,090 |
| Vermont | $78,680 |
| Virginia | $61,050 |
| Washington | $72,760 |
| West Virginia | $61,810 |
| Wisconsin | $60,670 |
| Wyoming | $65,510 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as medical and clinical laboratory technologists about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 99% are on the phone every day
- 95% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 93% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 91% use email every day
- 85% are exposed to disease or infection every day
- 81% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 52% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 14% |
Tools and Software Medical Technologists Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy analyzing problems and working with ideas as well as hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Science, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Chemistry, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, English Language, Biology.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Medical Technologist Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 29-2011.00 (Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.