Medical lab tech job qualifications? ?

Question

i am considering going to a school called MedVance institute. this school is accredited by the (coe) committee of occupational edu., and is said to be recognized as a nationally accediting agency. in other words its not accredited by the same people that , for instance a community college or university is accredited by, but is said to be recognized by them as a nationally accredited program in medical/clinical technology.. i know that many have gotten jobs as mlts through this program but some job postings on indeed.com require specifically a 2 year program. medvance is a 18 mo. program 6 of those months are clinicals.. can someone who works as a mlt or knows someone who does tell me if a job would be hard to come by if i completed this program and passed the ascp .. any input will be appreciated... medvance offers an ( 18 MO. ) associates degree accedited by coe . thanks. if you could also add some job responsibilities or likes/ dislikes it would be appreciated.

Answer 1

As long as the program is recognized by NAACLS (The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences), includes a curriculum of both theory and clinical rotations that adequately prepare you for the MLT (ASCP) exam, and provide you with the minimum requirements necessary to sit for the ASCP exam or equivalent, then you should have no trouble finding work as a certified MLT afterwards, given you pass the exam.  The program should lead to an associates degree.  

As far as advantages go, MLTs and MTs (medical technologists) work "behind the scences" which usually means not having to juggle the stresses that come along with direct patient care, but having an undeniable impact on patient care.  Those who work in the laboratory become part of the one of the most vital aspects of the healthcare team along with care providers, nursing, and pharmacy.  Clinical laboratory testing is responsible for an estimated 70 to 80% of medical decisions.

I work as an MT in a hospital microbiology laboratory and I never find my work to be boring or mundane.  New cases, new organisms, and new scenarios never fail to keep it interesting.  I enjoy working in the field of clinical microbiology, although, most of the time I don't really consider it work.  But, microbiology is one of the most "hands on" areas in clinical laboratory science.  Other areas like hematology and chemistry typically use a lot more automation and instrumentation than biological departments that work with live organisms and perform testing that is much more difficult to automate completely.

Check out the link below for a partial (incomplete) list of accredited programs (check with your program director if yours is not listed).  I also added a link to the various routes that can be taken to qualify for the MLT (ASCP).