Medical Technologist Cert question

[sabaijae]

Hi, apologies if this is posted in the wrong forum; I'm not a med student or from a closely related field (I'm venturing over from the psych forum), but have a few questions about Med Tech certification.

Basically, my fiancee has a Bachelors' degree in Biology and a Masters degree in Molecular Biology (or something along those lines - ashamed that I can never get it right) from a UK university, and is interested in becoming a lab tech in the US.

From what I can read on the AMT & ASCP websites, she meets the academic requirements for the Medical Technologist certification, although does not have the "supervised/official" or whatever lab requirement. She has around 3 year's lab experience, although in the UK.

She bought the BOC Clinical Lab Study Guide and is confident she can pass the exam, although the only problem is that dang "official" lab experience.

My question is: is there a way she can work and get this official lab experience. Or, must all lab techs have this certification before they're even considered for a job? We're planning on moving to Central Texas (Austin or San Antonio)... any advice would be much appreciated!

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[sabaijae]

Just noticed the AAB ... Any thoughts on that cert?

 

[willen101383]

Hi, apologies if this is posted in the wrong forum; I'm not a med student or from a closely related field (I'm venturing over from the psych forum), but have a few questions about Med Tech certification.

Basically, my fiancee has a Bachelors' degree in Biology and a Masters degree in Molecular Biology (or something along those lines - ashamed that I can never get it right) from a UK university, and is interested in becoming a lab tech in the US.

From what I can read on the AMT & ASCP websites, she meets the academic requirements for the Medical Technologist certification, although does not have the "supervised/official" or whatever lab requirement. She has around 3 year's lab experience, although in the UK.

She bought the BOC Clinical Lab Study Guide and is confident she can pass the exam, although the only problem is that dang "official" lab experience.

My question is: is there a way she can work and get this official lab experience. Or, must all lab techs have this certification before they're even considered for a job? We're planning on moving to Central Texas (Austin or San Antonio)... any advice would be much appreciated!

This is a premed board...so the wrong place to look for advice. However I am an MT ASCP so you got lucky. In all honesty it is going to be difficult for her. I was a bio major (non mt major). I worked as a phlebotomist from my freshman to senior year in college so I had lab experience. When I graduated I was able to get a temp job for about 6 months in a clinical lab learning the ropes at a MLT (associates degree) pay grade. From there I was able to get a job in a doctors office...get an ASCP and then worked in hospitals until I matriculated in med school. This is not typical.

Look on the ASCP website for their requirements (as im sure youve done). Its going to be difficult for her to get experience to be eligible to even sit for the exam without starting at the ground up to be honest with you. She should see if there are any schools that would be able to hook her up with a 1 year internship...because I highly doubt anyone is going to hire her to work as an MT with zero experience. Maybe 7 or 8 years back when I started...but things have tightened up significantly. In NYS where I grew up...you werent even eligible to work in a JCHAO accredited hospital without a NYS issued MT license!

Basically, she has zero qualifications or experience....IE nothing to bring to the table. Shed have to have some small doctors office lab willing to train her from the ground up in clinical lab medicine...which is really unlikely. Getting a job at an actual hospital is out of the question. Being a clinical lab tech isnt just a joke job anyone can walk into. You are dealing with serious stuff with serious consequences if you screw up.

 

[sabaijae]

This is a premed board...so the wrong place to look for advice. However I am an MT ASCP so you got lucky. In all honesty it is going to be difficult for her. I was a bio major (non mt major). I worked as a phlebotomist from my freshman to senior year in college so I had lab experience. When I graduated I was able to get a temp job for about 6 months in a clinical lab learning the ropes at a MLT (associates degree) pay grade. From there I was able to get a job in a doctors office...get an ASCP and then worked in hospitals until I matriculated in med school. This is not typical.

Look on the ASCP website for their requirements (as im sure youve done). Its going to be difficult for her to get experience to be eligible to even sit for the exam without starting at the ground up to be honest with you. She should see if there are any schools that would be able to hook her up with a 1 year internship...because I highly doubt anyone is going to hire her to work as an MT with zero experience. Maybe 7 or 8 years back when I started...but things have tightened up significantly. In NYS where I grew up...you werent even eligible to work in a JCHAO accredited hospital without a NYS issued MT license!

Basically, she has zero qualifications or experience....IE nothing to bring to the table. Shed have to have some small doctors office lab willing to train her from the ground up in clinical lab medicine...which is really unlikely. Getting a job at an actual hospital is out of the question. Being a clinical lab tech isnt just a joke job anyone can walk into. You are dealing with serious stuff with serious consequences if you screw up.

Well, I guess I should say thanks and leave it at that ...

 

[willen101383]

Well, I guess I should say thanks and leave it at that ...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but clinical lab technology isnt really something you can just walk into with no experience.

If she had some phlebotomy experience to complement her BS she would have a better shot of getting a job at a doctors office...working as a phleb for a while...and getting to know the lab personel and maybe making the switch over time.....then using that as an internship to be able to sit for the MT exam.

If shes really that interested in being a med tech...then she should look into education options to get her there. Since she already has a bachelors she could probably get into an MLT program and have that count as a MT since she already has the BS. MLTs need internship years too as far as I know...so she could do that and then take the MT exam.

PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[Morsetlis]

I don't know about much of this, but how do they expect people to get experience if it requires experience to get a job? Internships as a student, or post-grad internships?

 

[willen101383]

I don't know about much of this, but how do they expect people to get experience if it requires experience to get a job? Internships as a student, or post-grad internships?

Internships happen usually your senior year of college in most MT bachelors degree programs.

The ASCP (american society of clinical pathologists) have a few "tracks" you can take to get licensed as a clinical lab technologist.

The most common track is to get ur bachelors in medical technology with a 1 year internship, sit for the MT exam...and you are good to go.

Another way (my way) was to graduate with a science degree, complete an internship, and you are good.

There are like 2 or 3 other ways to get the MT (different combinations of lab experience+ a bachelors degree) In addition to that you can get certain other "specialist" credentials that require other levels of training. For example SBB=specialist in blood banking. U dont need a SBB (i was a blood banker) but generally blood bank supervisors have em since sometimes really rare things come up.

MT-cytotechnologist (the person who performs and reads pap smears and the like) needs a MASTERs on top of traditional MT training.

So keep this in mind when you are an attending and you are communicating with the lab staff. Because aside from the pharmacists and other attendings and midlevels the lab people have the highest level of education in the hospital...and for the most part know what they are talking about. Many docs and nurses do not know this....considering the number of times ive been asked by nurses "do you need to go to college to do your job." Yep, I have a masters degree

 

[sunflower18]

My mother is a MLT, and she graduated from an accredited MLT bachelor's program. This degree included rotations in various hospitals and labs (externships, etc), so she got hired by one of the places she rotated in. I'm not sure if there is a better or easier way to do it; I'm fairly certain that everyone she worked with did it the same way, so it'd probably be the most effective. I would try to see if there were any Medical Lab Technology programs in your area, and if she's willing to take those classes, then she'd be set. There are some pre-reqs that I'm sure she could test out of in order to get started.

Good luck!

 

[willen101383]

My mother is a MLT, and she graduated from an accredited MLT bachelor's program. This degree included rotations in various hospitals and labs (externships, etc), so she got hired by one of the places she rotated in. I'm not sure if there is a better or easier way to do it; I'm fairly certain that everyone she worked with did it the same way, so it'd probably be the most effective. I would try to see if there were any Medical Lab Technology programs in your area, and if she's willing to take those classes, then she'd be set. There are some pre-reqs that I'm sure she could test out of in order to get started.

Good luck!

If your mom has a bachelors she is an MT not an MLT

 

[sunflower18]

If your mom has a bachelors she is an MT not an MLT

Oops! My bad I always mix them up.