Medical Technologist

[songaila]

Any Medical Technologist out there? Is there a shortage for this profession? It seems like a good "stepping stone" career. Can automation take away technologists' jobs?

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[derhoy1]

I decided to get my BS in Medical Technology and worked as a generalist at a large, community teaching hospital as well as the medical examiner's office (as a forensic chemist) before going back to graduate school to become a PA. Great undergrad degree. PM me if any questions or you want more info.

 

[acrunchyfrog]

Any Medical Technologist out there? Is there a shortage for this profession? It seems like a good "stepping stone" career. Can automation take away technologists' jobs?

One of my best friends joined the Army to become a Dr, and enlisted as a Lab/med tech(I don't recall the actual name but he does the med tech job). He learned a TON of useful information and is enjoying his work, but he likes the lab setting. Currently he's in El Paso, where they recently installed a multi-million dollar automated lab system. Basically the only thing he has to do at this post is load the tubes into a tray. The machine does everything from scanning, decaping, alloquating (sp), and then any number of tests before storing and even retreiving the stored samples. There are a few things he still does with the more mainstream lab machines but I don't recall what. Maybe only 5 things now. He's hoping for a new assignment someplace where he actually gets to work.

In his words the level of automation there has taken place of several enlisted personnel and a few civvy contractors as well. I don't recall the exact numbers but it seems that the initial cost of this set up (the size of 2/3ds of the lab) would be prohibitive to anyone but huge entities.

just my $.02

 

[helpfuldoc2b]

Any Medical Technologist out there? Is there a shortage for this profession? It seems like a good "stepping stone" career. Can automation take away technologists' jobs?

It is a dead end, anti-social boring degree and job prospestives. Not to add low paying with no appreciation and little to no chance for career upward mobility!

 

[Beau Geste]

I would agree that it's a good stepping stone, but probably doesn't have much career advancement.

 

[njbmd]

Any Medical Technologist out there? Is there a shortage for this profession? It seems like a good "stepping stone" career. Can automation take away technologists' jobs?

Check out this website from Ohio State http://amp.osu.edu/mt/ This website offers great information about Medical Technology and job prospects. The Medical Technologists that I work with are allied heath professionals who are not interested in leaving their careers. There are opportunities for medical technologists to specialize in hematology, microbiology, bloodbanking and clinical chemistry. Medical Technology is a great career with interesting work.

 

[melcal]

got my undergrad degree as a med tech & worked for 5 yrs before becoming a PA. also worked part-time while in PA school.
there is a definite shortage of med techs, and it's been that way for many yrs. jobs are plentiful. not everything is automated (microbiology & blood bank) and many things can't be reliable with automation (like a differential or hemoglobin/hematocrit on a CBC).
there are opportunities to advance - teaching, lab management. my former microbiology boss went on to an infection control supervisory position.

 

[jacketwrestler]

There are other "stepping stone" bachelor's that'll get you patient hands-on experience for later masters or professional degree programs. Some that come to mind are BSN, respiratory care, radiation technology, emergency medical care, and even dental hygiene if you want to pursue dentistry eventually.

 

[crystalviolet]

Any Medical Technologist out there? Is there a shortage for this profession? It seems like a good "stepping stone" career. Can automation take away technologists' jobs?

I have been a med tech for three years. I have worked in three different hospitals and there's always a shortage. I do agree with the rest over here though. It is a good stepping stone career but the advancement is limited. If you get a masters in clinical lab sciences, you either become a manager or a clinical instructor. And that's pretty much it.

The pay isn't that great, and the job can get very stressful. I did like going to med tech school though since I learned a lot. However, I feel more like a factory worker than a healthcare professional. However, if you like minimal patient contact, then this is the job for you.

Can automation take away tech jobs? I don't think so. You can't guarantee if the analyzer is producing the correct results because something might be wrong with it or your QC results are incorrect or the specimen was contaminated. As a tech I still have to use my judgment when I look at the results before releasing it.

 

[yellowfeverdude]

Do med schools like people thay have worked as a medtech previously?

 

[mike36]

I've worked as an MT for two years now. Yes the pay sucks, no one knows about the profession, and career advancement is limited. This is why I decided to go to pharmacy school. I'll be goint to UT Austin this Fall. I'm not sure about other medical professions, but my interviewer for pharmacy school was really impressed that I was an MT.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

The pay isn't that great, and the job can get very stressful.

Then move because the pay isn't that bad in a lot of places. Stress? Try working on the floors for a while and then you'll see stress.

Just my two cents.....


Signed,

-DKM, Current RT and MT/Psych double major, son of an MT, fomer phlebotomist and lab assistant

Dictated but not read.......

 

[Chronic Student]

Then move because the pay isn't that bad in a lot of places. Stress? Try working on the floors for a while and then you'll see stress.

Just my two cents.....


Signed,

-DKM, Current RT and MT/Psych double major, son of an MT, fomer phlebotomist and lab assistant

Dictated but not read.......

DKM,

everywhere I ever worked as a Med Tech the pay sucked. Especially for the amount of education that was required.

Secondly, nothing was as stressful as working in the bloodbank. I've been yelled at as a scrub tech and had things thrown at me and as an EMT I came across a lot of stressful crap. Even now as a neurosurgical PA there is not anything close to the daily stress of being a Med Tech and working in the blood bank.

Just my .02 cents.

-Mike

 

[uppi]

I know this is a very old thread, but I want to try to resurect it.

DKM,

everywhere I ever worked as a Med Tech the pay sucked. Especially for the amount of education that was required.

Pay does not really "suck" as an MT, unless of course you are comparing the pay to what a neurosurgery PA gets, then yes it sucks. Average salary where I live is 55k for an MT, 60-65k for a Supervisor, and 70-80k for a manager (base salary). Keep in mind most managers at big hospitals and labs will probably get bonuses as well. The Technical Director at my clinical site is an MT and he never went to MBA school, just has his bachelors. Making close to six figs. Not bad for a 4 year college degree. Name me another undergraduate degree besides MT, nursing, engineering, and maybe one or two others, that makes a better average salary? Even business undergrads start out at 37k-40k, and while there are good advancement opportunities, you ahve to kiss a lot of a$$ and do boring work.

Career Advancement - I dont know where people are getting the idea you are stuck and have nowhere to go once you get your MT degree. Fact is it OPENS tons of doors, not closes them. You get pretty much all the prereqs to go to PA school, Med school, etc. You can get into research. You can become involved with a Pharaceutical Company. You can go into Consulting. Infection Control. Management. Informatics. Can go on more but I made my point.

Difficulty of Degree - Yea its a pretty tough major. I am graduating this May and honestly feel like a junior doctor. I think one of the downsides to the curriculum/degree in general is you get to learn all this AWESOME knowledge... Interpreting Lab tests and results and correlating them with disease states, learning in depth knowledge about the human body and pathology behind it all, etc. However most of that information you never get to use again. Its almost like they trick you into thinking this is whats its really like to be an MT, then you get to your Clincals and realize its nothing like that - The exception being Micro and Blood Bank of Course. You know you have a pretty good medical education under your belt when you can do a practice USMLE step I exam of the microbiology section and get 70-80% of the answers correct... In Med micro/Clinical Chem/Clinical Hem we learn lots of the same things a Med Student is learning. The difference is that when a Med Student is done, they get to use that information, when a MT is done they will not be using most of the information

Stress - Yes the stress can be bad depending on where you work. (I saw somebody say how stressful blood bank was, if you work at a small blood bank its probably the least stressful MT specialty). The pace is very slow and there is always downtime where you can relax, read books, browse the net, etc. At a large level one trauma center on the other hand, yes the blood bank can be pretty stressful. I wouldnt think that this job is anymore stressful than being in business, teaching, being a doctor. All I ever see on her is these Doctors complaining about all the hours, the stress, the call, the lawsuits, etc. PA on the other hand, I guess there is a reason its like the best rated job in america right now. Sounds like you get the best of both worlds.

All in all, Med Tech is a great stepping stone degree no doubt, but it can be a great career too, especially for someone who wants to be in healthcare but isnt sure they want patient contact and doesnt have the ambition (not everyone does) to sacrifice years of their lives to become a Doctor.

 

[Chronic Student]

Just a few rebuttals

I know this is a very old thread, but I want to try to resurect it.




Pay does not really "suck" as an MT, unless of course you are comparing the pay to what a neurosurgery PA gets, then yes it sucks. Average salary where I live is 55k for an MT (I started out at 37,500 for a rather tough four year degree when an ultrasound tech with an associates degree started out at over 50,000), 60-65k for a Supervisor, and 70-80k for a manager (base salary). Keep in mind most managers at big hospitals and labs will probably get bonuses as well. The Technical Director at my clinical site is an MT and he never went to MBA school, just has his bachelors. Making close to six figs. Not bad for a 4 year college degree. Name me another undergraduate degree besides MT, nursing, engineering, and maybe one or two others, that makes a better average salary? Even business undergrads start out at 37k-40k, and while there are good advancement opportunities, you ahve to kiss a lot of a$$ and do boring work.

Career Advancement - I dont know where people are getting the idea you are stuck and have nowhere to go once you get your MT degree. Fact is it OPENS tons of doors, not closes them. You get pretty much all the prereqs to go to PA school, Med school, etc. You can get into research. You can become involved with a Pharaceutical Company. You can go into Consulting. Infection Control. Management. Informatics. Can go on more but I made my point. (Exactly, you have to leave the field to advance.)

Difficulty of Degree - Yea its a pretty tough major. I am graduating this May and honestly feel like a junior doctor. I think one of the downsides to the curriculum/degree in general is you get to learn all this AWESOME knowledge... Interpreting Lab tests and results and correlating them with disease states, learning in depth knowledge about the human body and pathology behind it all, etc. However most of that information you never get to use again. Its almost like they trick you into thinking this is whats its really like to be an MT, then you get to your Clincals and realize its nothing like that - The exception being Micro and Blood Bank of Course. You know you have a pretty good medical education under your belt when you can do a practice USMLE step I exam of the microbiology section and get 70-80% of the answers correct... In Med micro/Clinical Chem/Clinical Hem we learn lots of the same things a Med Student is learning. The difference is that when a Med Student is done, they get to use that information, when a MT is done they will not be using most of the information

Stress - Yes the stress can be bad depending on where you work. (I saw somebody say how stressful blood bank was, if you work at a small blood bank its probably the least stressful MT specialty). The pace is very slow and there is always downtime where you can relax, read books, browse the net, etc. At a large level one trauma center on the other hand, yes the blood bank can be pretty stressful. I wouldnt think that this job is anymore stressful than being in business, teaching, being a doctor. All I ever see on her is these Doctors complaining about all the hours, the stress, the call, the lawsuits, etc. PA on the other hand, I guess there is a reason its like the best rated job in america right now. Sounds like you get the best of both worlds. (As a new graduate I trained for less than six months in blood bank and it was a reference lab to boot before I was thrown on nights by myself. I would do a minimum of fifty T&S's a night, crossmatch blood, dispense blood, ready products for transfusion, do DATs, transfusion reaction workups, find compatible blood for warm autos/antibody workups, ready plasma for plasma transfusions and handle emergencies. We covered a level one trauma center and an adjacent burn unit. It was not uncommon to have a trauma in the OR, one in the ER, a kid going south in the NICU and one in the burn unit. All the while trying to manage the phone and doctors yelling at you and at the same time taking you away from trying to get their blood ready. I understand that we were extremely short staffed and that is , I hope, not typical. Nonetheless, it is more stressful than being an EMT, being a neuro PA, hanging off the side of a cliff upside doen when you are insanely afraid of heights, etc. It is sustained stress over a long period of time and it grinds you down. )

All in all, Med Tech is a great stepping stone degree no doubt, but it can be a great career too, especially for someone who wants to be in healthcare but isnt sure they want patient contact and doesnt have the ambition (not everyone does) to sacrifice years of their lives to become a Doctor.

All in all, my opinion is just that my opinion. However, my wife is an MT, a lot of my friends are MT's and we have many years of combined experience at many different hospitals and we have had a different experience than you. I just wonder if your way of thinking will change after working in the field for a few years.

 

[uppi]

You may be right, my mind might change over time. No doubt. And I would be lying if I said I wasnt considering the "next step" in my career (thats why im on these boards). But Medical Technology is a great career and choice of major. I just dont think that its the "most stressful job out there" with the crappiest pay either. Some people talk like MT's are the ultimate scrubs of medicine and lackey's to even the nurses. The fact is one of the nice things about it is that you dont have to be involved with all the medical hierarchy that goes on with the docs, nurses, PA's, etc on the floor. And I do have experience to back that up besides my clinical rotations, I have been a microbiology lab assistant for two years in a fairly large independant reference lab. It is also a for profit lab, so I have to "deal" with the lack of staff issues for the amount of work that they get, and the hiring of all lab assistants, MLT's and very few MT's because the former is cheaper. And even in an environment like that it is not as stressful as what some are saying. There are bitter people, but im never stressed out to the point I would consider another career because of it.

 

[lapelirroja]

Some people talk like MT's are the ultimate scrubs of medicine and lackey's to even the nurses.

Starting salary for nurses at my hospital where i am a tech is way way way way more than MTs. Doesn't look like that will be changing any time soon. For the same amount of schooling, it definitely sucks.

I'm in a 5-year MT degree program, graduating this May, and so very excited to be leaving the field for PA school in the fall. I will be working as an MT this summer, part time during the school year, and full time next summer (my program has a break.) While it will be a good way for me to earn money during this time, it's such a thankless job, and I'm so excited to leave!

 

[fab4fan]

I appreciate this thread. I never knew it took so long to become a MT. I thought it took about 2 years, much like an ADN program. Forgive me for my lack of knowledge.

 

[lapelirroja]

Fab, I think part of the confusion comes from the fact that there are different levels of laboratory certification. One becomes a Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) after an Associate's degree and clinical rotations, and one becomes a Medical Technologist (MT) after a 4 or 5 year degree and clinical rotations. You cannot just take the test of MT and become an MT as an MLT, you must complete the coursework as well. People just refer to laboratory personnel as "Techs" so it gets confusing. Even more so when you think of laboratory support personnel and phlebs, etc.

 

[fab4fan]

Fab, I think part of the confusion comes from the fact that there are different levels of laboratory certification. One becomes a Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) after an Associate's degree and clinical rotations, and one becomes a Medical Technologist (MT) after a 4 or 5 year degree and clinical rotations. You cannot just take the test of MT and become an MT as an MLT, you must complete the coursework as well. People just refer to laboratory personnel as "Techs" so it gets confusing. Even more so when you think of laboratory support personnel and phlebs, etc.

Kind of like all the different levels of nursing: LPN, ADN, diploma, BSN, etc.

Thanks for the explanation.

 

[nurse2b2009]

Kind of like all the different levels of nursing: LPN, ADN, diploma, BSN, etc.

Thanks for the explanation.

Which one are you fab4fan?

 

[fab4fan]

Which one are you fab4fan?

I don't talk to socks.

 

[nurse2b2009]

I don't talk to socks.

lol. hmmm...I am so sorry, I thought you were socks. No? Please forgive me for the misunderstanding. I hope you feel better about yourself soon. Anyway, let's remain rational here. Intelligent people do not get involved in trivialities.

 

[julie walker]

I don't talk to socks.

Why can't we get along? We do not have to be firends but we can converse with sense.

 

[julie walker]

Why can't we get along? We do not have to be firends but we can converse with sense.

oops, friends.

 

[wisconsindoctor]

An MT career is a dead end career. I just don't get why people always keep chosing a dead end career. Do you really want to do the same thing for the next 25 to 40 years? You will never get ahead being an MT.

A lot of the stuff an MT does, a monkey can be trained to do the work. I know several people that I'm graduating with that are taking lab tech jobs for $12.50 to $13.50 per hour. These people will be back in school again in a year or two.

You can go ahead and work as an MT for a year or two if you want, but be smart and keep working on a different career path. There is a reason why there is such a huge shortage of MT's.

Why do you think certain fields have major shortages? Why do you think there is a nursing shortage? Just think about it!

I'm taking a year off to get away from school for a year. I'm already gained employment as a recruiter making $40k base pay with comission. With filling 10 spots, I will make close to $80k. I also have another job that I work via the Internet full-time. This job is, guess what, a science job. I work full-time for this job making $35k. Just with my base pay I will be making $75k. Add in my comission pay and I could make $100k in my year off from school. I'll be keeping my Internet based job while I'm in graduate school.

A lot of healthcare taining is done with 2 year degrees. An ultrasound tech can start around $50k. The same goes with an x-ray tech. An RT also gets paid good money for only 2 years in school. The same goes with being a nurse.

Some of the high paying jobs in the healthcare field that require a B.S. degree also require a masters or Ph.D.

A B.S. degree in the healthcare field just isn't very useful.

 

[foreverLaur]

Since when is a BSN not useful? While most all RN jobs are the same regardless of degree - I have seen positions that prefer a BSN. Additionally, if you want to further your education, you'll need a BSN (or at least a bachelors degree). Furthering your education is not, however, required, because the role of an CNP, CNS, or CRNA is very different from an RN. At least in nursing, I think a BSN is very useful.

 

[lapelirroja]

I know several people that I'm graduating with that are taking lab tech jobs for $12.50 to $13.50 per hour.

Believe me, I'm on your side. I'm leaving the field. I chose the major because of the great base of knowledge, not for the career. However....are these rates for Wisconsin? The hospital I work at is starting me off at 19.50/hr without certs! When I get my cert and my degree it will be even more!

That's a little ridiculous...

 

[wisconsindoctor]

Believe me, I'm on your side. I'm leaving the field. I chose the major because of the great base of knowledge, not for the career. However....are these rates for Wisconsin? The hospital I work at is starting me off at 19.50/hr without certs! When I get my cert and my degree it will be even more!

That's a little ridiculous...

Yes the jobs I'm talking about are for the state of Wisconsin. The ones I'm refering to are from Covance.

There are some better paying entry level jobs (lab techs), not nothing more then $30,000 a year.

An MT though does get paid a little more then the majority of entry level lab tech jobs.

 

[wisconsindoctor]

Since when is a BSN not useful? While most all RN jobs are the same regardless of degree - I have seen positions that prefer a BSN. Additionally, if you want to further your education, you'll need a BSN (or at least a bachelors degree). Furthering your education is not, however, required, because the role of an CNP, CNS, or CRNA is very different from an RN. At least in nursing, I think a BSN is very useful.

Who said anything about a BSN not being useful? You think I said that, but I didn't. What I did say is that a B.S. won't get you much in medicine (beyond lab tech jobs). The degrees I'm refering to are biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, etc, etc.

Go and reread my post. I wasn't talking about nurses.

 

[fab4fan]

Who said anything about a BSN not being useful? You think I said that, but I didn't. What I did say is that a B.S. won't get you much in medicine (beyond lab tech jobs). The degrees I'm refering to are biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, etc, etc.

Go and reread my post. I wasn't talking about nurses.

I didn't get that impression from your post at all. And the reality is, for a lot of bedside nurses a BSN doesn't really make a significant difference in pay. It does open the door to more opportunities, yes, but day to day bedside nursing? Not so much.

That's not to say that the education you get for a BSN is a waste. Education is never a waste.

 

[foreverLaur]

Who said anything about a BSN not being useful? You think I said that, but I didn't. What I did say is that a B.S. won't get you much in medicine (beyond lab tech jobs). The degrees I'm refering to are biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, etc, etc.

Go and reread my post. I wasn't talking about nurses.

Between bitching at my roommates, taking 22 credit hours, and working 30 hours a week, I have apparently lost my reading ability. My apologies!

 

[wisconsindoctor]

Between bitching at my roommates, taking 22 credit hours, and working 30 hours a week, I have apparently lost my reading ability. My apologies!

That is ok. I have a tendency to think I'm typing exactly what I'm thinking and it doesn't come across the way I want it to. I've been a victim for a good couple of years now where I assume people know what the heck I'm talking about.

I had a speech professor tell me that my critical thinking skills are far more advanced then the average person and I have a tendency to assume others have the same type of critical thinking skill level.

Now back to the topic at hand. An MT career is ok to have if you don't mind doing the work. But does a person really want to have a career as an MT for the long hall? I would asume not and I wouldn't recommend it either. The reason for this is that a person can't make enough money to save for retirement and purchase a retirement home before they retire. Also, the upward mobility is lacking.

The huge difference between a career as an MT and a career in any area of business is that in a business career you have more sideway mobility and upward mobility. In business, you can move up quickly if you are good.

 

[uppi]

The reason for this is that a person can't make enough money to save for retirement and purchase a retirement home before they retire. Also, the upward mobility is lacking.

I think you are confusing Lab Tech with an MT. they are essentially two different titles. Anybody with a biology degree can become a "lab tech" or better known as a lab technician. They DO make crappy pay. The reason for this is they are not really Medical Technologist, as they did not graduate with a Medical Technologist degree and as a result are not eligible for certification. They are only able to do basic testing in the lab. (ie in Microbiology they cannot do all the "cool" stuff that the MT gets to do, such as read the plates and identifiy the pathogens, do the sensitivities, work in the TB/fungus lab, or any of the interpretive, complex things). They are basically lab set-up people who can read gram stains and plate out organisms. If I was doing this after a 4 year degree, I would want out too. I also believe that as a "lab tech" you are stuck as that, you will not be able to move up to supervisor or manager/director of a lab as MT's are given those positions. Upon graduation this May, I will be starting at 23.00 per hour with pretty darn good benefits (Health insurance at 50 bucks per month with a 90%/10% Cost Share (Employeer pays 90%, I pay 10%) I also have a great 401k with a pension. I get a 5% raise every year, so after 5-10 years I will be making DECENT money (and more than enough money to retire with when im done). For those saying that you cant make anything as an MT and you cant make money with it, go to Mayo Labs and look at their benefits/pay. Experienced MT's there are making almost 70k.

The huge difference between a career as an MT and a career in any area of business is that in a business career you have more sideway mobility and upward mobility. In business, you can move up quickly if you are good.

True, in business you have MUCH more flexibility, there is no doubt of that, and you can move up quicker. However, you can be canned just as easily. Job security in business is not even comparable. You also have to kiss a lot of ***.

I will agree with you though, WisconsinDoctor, that a lot of what an MT does a monkey could probably do. Chemistry is a perfect example. It really is pushing buttons all day (a little more complicated than that) but essentially its like working in a medical factory. However I am working in Microbiology, and that is a whole different ballgame. It's very interesting and the work is both fun and fascinating (if you are an MT). Now, is it as fun and "exciting" as being an MD or PA would be. No, of course not. Is it as rewarding. No. Does it pay like those professions? No. But not everyone is cut out for that (and the liability that goes with it). There's this attitude from almost everyone here that being anything less than a MD/DO is a worthless job that pays like crap. Of course it is compared to and MD/DO, but if you compare MT salaries to the average its slightly above average. Will I still love the work after 15 years? I will probably get bored with it, but I can see myself getting my MBA and getting into Lab management/directing or consulting. Infection control is also another possibility. I can also see myself possibly going to PA school. becoming an MT doesn't mean you have to be at the bench for the rest of your life

Secondly, nothing was as stressful as working in the bloodbank. I've been yelled at as a scrub tech and had things thrown at me and as an EMT I came across a lot of stressful crap. Even now as a neurosurgical PA there is not anything close to the daily stress of being a Med Tech and working in the blood bank.

If you dont mind me asking ChronicStudent, what was it about being a MT that was so much more stressful than being a PA? I will admit I dont know much if anything about the daily life of a PA, but I would imagine it would have to be pretty stressful (seeing lots of patients a day, the fear of screwing up and killing somebody, etc). That surprises me that a job with so much more responsibility would be so less stressful.

 

[uppi]

Also, in regards to the shortage. The reason for the shortage of MT's is not because the job is "so crappy" that nobody wants to do it. Far from it. I cant speak for the reason for the nursing shortage, though its my understanding that its because their are not enough Phd's to teach nursing students and thus not enough graduating students. However for MT's there is a shortage for two main reasons:

1. People are unaware of the profession. The majority of people do not know that Medical Technologist's exist, as Nurses and Physicians are the only healthcare professionals that the general public sees. I found out about the profession on accident. I think if more people knew about it, you would see a lot more of these biology majors switching over, as it not only provides a better background for medical school, but it is a much better fallback plan too in case med school does not work out.

2. Of the people that major in Medical Technology, a good percentage of them are pre-meds. So they will not be staying in the profession.

 

[Chronic Student]

If you dont mind me asking ChronicStudent, what was it about being a MT that was so much more stressful than being a PA? I will admit I dont know much if anything about the daily life of a PA, but I would imagine it would have to be pretty stressful (seeing lots of patients a day, the fear of screwing up and killing somebody, etc). That surprises me that a job with so much more responsibility would be so less stressful.

I'm fairly certain I explained that ad nauseum.

My previous post had this - (As a new graduate I trained for less than six months in blood bank and it was a reference lab to boot before I was thrown on nights by myself. I would do a minimum of fifty T&S's a night, crossmatch blood, dispense blood, ready products for transfusion, do DATs, transfusion reaction workups, find compatible blood for warm autos/antibody workups, ready plasma for plasma transfusions and handle emergencies. We covered a level one trauma center and an adjacent burn unit. It was not uncommon to have a trauma in the OR, one in the ER, a kid going south in the NICU and one in the burn unit. All the while trying to manage the phone and doctors yelling at you and at the same time taking you away from trying to get their blood ready. I understand that we were extremely short staffed and that is , I hope, not typical. Nonetheless, it is more stressful than being an EMT, being a neuro PA, hanging off the side of a cliff upside doen when you are insanely afraid of heights, etc. It is sustained stress over a long period of time and it grinds you down. )

You have taken immunohematology, what are the consequences of mistyping blood? Not good my friend.

Oh so you had multiple emergencies and the phone was ringing and the surgeon is at the front desking screaming that you are killing his patient. No stress at all.

When you work in the lab you will learn that everyone blames the lab for stuff and they will treat you like crap on the phone and they won't ever get in trouble, but if you say anything slightly off color your lab director will call you into their office.

It was not one night or even one month of this. It was longer than that and we worked 10 hour shifts for eight days in a row. By that eighth day you were just ground down and after doing this for month after month after month it grinds you down.

PA school is no walk in the park, but after my stint in blood bank it seemed easy by comparison and I have not, for one second, ever looked back on being an MT or regretted my decision to leave the field.

 

[fab4fan]

Chronic Student: I completely understood what you meant about blood bank being more stressful than your current job. Part of my job includes frequent flyers who need transfusions, and that's a very stressful component of my job. Once in a while, someone has a reaction to a transfusion, and I'll tell you, it makes me so nervous even my hair sweats.

I wouldn't want to work blood bank, no sir.

 

[labrat338]

The shortage has made the wages increase slightly, not enough in my opinion. When they talk about raises you feel good until you find out the Rad Tech with a 2 yr is making just as much or often more then you. Uppi is right though, a main reason for the shortage is the obscurity of the job. To make matters worse our sole representative on the floor is the lowly phlebotomist, a job that serves as a revolving door and gets a high number of losers. Thing that burns me the most is we are the Rodney Dangerfields of health care, no respect. We provide 80% of the chart and receive 100% of the blame for EVERYTHING. Got a problem with reports? blame the lab, Got a problem with billing? blame the lab, Got a problem with the weather? blame the lab.
Best part of the career for me is you can make good money and see alot as a travel tech, and place yourself in a good spot to move on to PA or Med School or whatever.

 

[Leukocyte]

I am a former Medical Technologist. I decided to major in MT as a pre-med. because it was a professional degree, and as a back-up in case I was not able to go to Medical School. I was the ONLY male in a class full of females. I worked as a MT for 2 years before Medical School (salary = 16/hour). After Medical School I took a year off, and also worked as a MT in a very rural area (salary = 17/hour).

Looking back, my MT training served me 1 purpose...a solid fall-back job in times of distress. Other than a "solid job", it played no role in my acceptance to medical school or FM residency.

-Do I have any advantage over my fellow residents as a former MT?

No. I am however very comfortable with phlebotomy and arterial sticks...and know what color tube to use in the very rare occasions when I have to draw my own blood.

-What I hated about MT:

1) Being the only Male in the lab.
2) Lack of respect from nurses and doctors.
3) Low pay compared to other health care professionals (including Cytotechnologists and Histotechnologists)
4) Phlebotomy - Yes, when you work in a small lab you will draw your own blood.
5) Nurses/doctors calling the lab asking for results thinking that we can perform cardiac enzymes in 15 munites! We have to run CONTROLS, remember!
6) The overly anal/paranoid record keeping part of the job...VERY BORING.
7) Being "prisoned" in the lab all day...with no windows or sunshine.
8) Dealing with body fluids...I hated feces the most.
9) Again...The very anal, sometimes useless, record keeping and QC.

-What I liked about MT:

1) Solid Job.
2) Working with very cool machines like the Dimension, Sysmex....

 

[lapelirroja]

I am a former Medical Technologist. I decided to major in MT as a pre-med. because it was a professional degree, and as a back-up in case I was not able to go to Medical School. I was the ONLY male in a class full of females. I worked as a MT for 2 years before Medical School (salary = 16/hour). After Medical School I took a year off, and also worked as a MT in a very rural area (salary = 17/hour).

Looking back, my MT training served me 1 purpose...a solid fall-back job in times of distress. Other than a "solid job", it played no role in my acceptance to medical school or FM residency.

-Do I have any advantage over my fellow residents as a former MT?

No. I am however very comfortable with phlebotomy and arterial sticks...and know what color tube to use in the very rare occasions when I have to draw my own blood.

-What I hated about MT:

1) Being the only Male in the lab.
2) Lack of respect from nurses and doctors.
3) Low pay compared to other health care professionals (including Cytotechnologists and Histotechnologists)
4) Phlebotomy - Yes, when you work in a small lab you will draw your own blood.
5) Nurses/doctors calling the lab asking for results thinking that we can perform cardiac enzymes in 15 munites! We have to run CONTROLS, remember!
6) The overly anal/paranoid record keeping part of the job...VERY BORING.
7) Being "prisoned" in the lab all day...with no windows or sunshine.
8) Dealing with body fluids...I hated feces the most.
9) Again...The very anal, sometimes useless, record keeping and QC.

-What I liked about MT:

1) Solid Job.
2) Working with very cool machines like the Dimension, Sysmex....

Haha, I'm doing per diem in a lab until PA school starts. Last night we got a COMPLETELY liquid feces submitted for fecal fat/qualitative stool exam. Thankfully that's a send out for us! YAY!

I like micro the most, so I'm definitely getting used to sputum samples, feces, etc. And I'm an expert at grinding up orthopedic tissue specimens. YAY!

Other excitement from last night: pCO2 of 60+....when I called the nurse she actually said "goddamit, ****!"

 

[alloddsin]

I'm currently Pre- Biology, for a B.S. I told my advisor I was interested in research. She suggested I go to the Medical Technology program. I have about 2 semesters worth of classes to complete for prerequisites for M.T.

I will need to probably go for a couple summer classes, or take on the maximum credits allowed to complete the pre-req for Biology in the same time. (I started part-time)

I would love to go on into the MD/PhD program, BUT I also need and want to be finished with school and have a REAL job for a little while!!

Can anyone tell me what the difference is if I go M.T. and possibly later on work on a MD/PhD, VERSUS B.S. in Biology to MD/PhD???

My main interest is microbiology.

THANKS!

 

[wisconsindoctor]

I'm currently Pre- Biology, for a B.S. I told my advisor I was interested in research. She suggested I go to the Medical Technology program. I have about 2 semesters worth of classes to complete for prerequisites for M.T.

I will need to probably go for a couple summer classes, or take on the maximum credits allowed to complete the pre-req for Biology in the same time. (I started part-time)

I would love to go on into the MD/PhD program, BUT I also need and want to be finished with school and have a REAL job for a little while!!

Can anyone tell me what the difference is if I go M.T. and possibly later on work on a MD/PhD, VERSUS B.S. in Biology to MD/PhD???

My main interest is microbiology.

THANKS!

You are better off getting the MT degree versus a Biology degree if your end goal is medical school and you want to work a real job for a year or more. All medical technologist jobs in the area I live require MT training (won't take biology graduates). An MT job pays decent, but not great. It's a career where you can do it for the rest of your life if that is what you want, but it can become a drag doing the same job the rest of your life. Just like your advisor adviced, get the MT degree so you have a degree that will place you in a direct job versus a biology degree that doesn't place you in a direct job (for readers that can't understand the difference need to do some reading).

 

[Chronic Student]

The MT degree is pretty much a degree in pathophysiology and would seem to be more applicable down the road. I use the things I learned from it on a daily basis.

As far as micro in undergrad biology you only usually focus on general micro. In MT school you will do a lot more with pathogenic micro, mycology and parasitology.

Make no mistake though the MT degree is no walk in the park and is one of the harder degrees IMO. Although I am biased.

 

[alloddsin]

You both answered my questions! That's what I was wondering, and I'm glad, because I feel like M.T. is more where I want to be.

 

[QueenieC]

I am almost through with my BS in clinical laboratory science. I have been MLT/ASCP, MT(AMT) for 19 yrs. The pay does suck compared to RN with associate degree. Exactly what does the PA do and how much more school is required and what is average salary?

I decided to get my BS in Medical Technology and worked as a generalist at a large, community teaching hospital as well as the medical examiner's office (as a forensic chemist) before going back to graduate school to become a PA. Great undergrad degree. PM me if any questions or you want more info.

 

[mtascp]

hi,
i'm not a student doctor and came upon this site quite accidentally. however, i have been an mt for about 10 years and i really resent all the comments about the career being a "dead end" as well as all the other negative posts. i have to tell you, that while i agree the pay can be lousy, you have to advocate for yourself. i recently made a move to a large teaching hospital and although it's not md pay, it's not bad. i like the fact that i can work part-time and shifts. i have basically tailored my schedule to fit my needs and it's been working out great. if i were full time, i'd be making about 70 grand a year and without a supervisor's title at that. but since the pay is what i would consider decent, i don't have to work full time. if i had it to do over again, i would probably pick pharmacy though. i'm not driven enough to be a doctor and i had my kids pretty young. but considering how some of my friends are struggling at VERY low paying jobs, i feel pretty fortunate. and, i am not big on patient contact at all. that's a big force behind the lower salaries for comparable education and experience. in my opinion, it's worth it. the only thing worse than a hungry person is a sick person.

 

[mtascp]

oh i forgot to comment on the "stress" factor. i am and have been in the microbiology lab for most of my career. it's quite different from the other labs in that the stress is usually much less. if you like hands on and relatively low stress, this area is the area for you. i have very little stress. if anyone thinks this is a high stress job, you obviously have not had very much work experience in the "real" world working with "real" idiots. believe me, this is nothing. i think it's a great career. i do agree with others who have said the course work is difficult. it is. i loved the challenge though and took a lot away from the program. i went to one of the top schools in the country for medical laboratory science and walked out with a 3.8 gpa which is not spectacular i know, but i was also a full-time employee and a mom and wife. not bad.

 

[Chronic Student]

I stick by what I said and it is all from my own personal experience.

As an aside, try blood banking in the situation I described and see how calm and unstressed you are.

Not trying to pick a fight, but you seem very dismissive of my experience.

 

[RockHardIce]

I worked as a Lab assistant in a University Health Center and had a chance to observe medical technologists, plus a supervisor very closely on a day to day basis. None of them seemed to be stressed at all from work! Most of the time they would surf the net, take care of paying utility bills or talk to their friends and family over the telephone, e.t.c Whenever it used to get busy in the lab, they would yell at other workers such as me for being slow and would hand responsibilities which they were entitled to do. I ended up writing a two page complain letter against their attitudes to the lab coordinator and left the place for good. LOLZ.

P.S. nothing personal to MTs.

 

[jfktai]

I decided to get my BS in Medical Technology and worked as a generalist at a large, community teaching hospital as well as the medical examiner's office (as a forensic chemist) before going back to graduate school to become a PA. Great undergrad degree. PM me if any questions or you want more info.

Hi there, I would like to ask a question about medical tech. I confuse whether should I go to University to get BS degree then apply to Medical tech program at CSU or Should I apply now ? My goal is to be pharmacist
can you give me some advice?

Thanks ahead