Clinical Laboratory Technician

Who are Clinical Laboratory Technicians?

Your healthcare provider has requested that you have your blood drawn for some lab tests.  You see a phlebotomist to get the blood collected, but did you ever wonder who actually does the tests? Clinical Laboratory Technicians (CLTs) do!. CLTs are also known as Medical Laboratory Technicians. They work under the supervision of Clincial Laboratory Scientists and are critical members of the healthcare team. CLTs perform routine testing in all areas of the clinical laboratory and provide the results healthcare providers need to make an accurate diagnosis. 

Is This Career for Me?

A Clinical Laboratory Technician should be strong in sciences and mathematics, be comfortable with computers and complicated instrumentation, and be interested in working in healthcare but not necessarily interested in having extensive patient contact. Critical skills include attention to detail, active listening, critical thinking, using scientific processes to solve problems, willingness to follow rules and specific instructions, and good judgment and decision making. A CLT must have good manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, close vision, and reasoning ability.

The clinical laboratory is a dynamic workplace with many opportunities for a person with the right skills. The job outlook is better than average in Rochester and across the country. It is important to note that most hospital laboratories are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so many entry level positions are on evening or night shifts and weekend and holiday rotations are often required.

The Clinical Laboratory Technician Program at MCC

This A.A.S. degree program is designed to prepare graduates to perform clinical laboratory testing in rapidly changing and dynamic healthcare delivery systems. The CLT graduate will possess entry level competencies to perform, evaluate, correlate, and assure accuracy and validity of laboratory information. The program includes instruction in general laboratory procedures and skills, laboratory mathematics, clinical laboratory safety and governmental regulations, interpersonal and communication skills, and the basic principles and practice of hematology/hemostasis, diagnostic microbiology, immunohematology/transfusion medicine, immunology/serology, clinical chemistry, phlebotomy, histology, laboratory operations, and urine and body fluid analysis. Clinical experiences at local clinical laboratories are an integral part of the program.

In New York State, a clinical laboratory technician must have a license to perform patient testing. The easiest path to a license is to graduate from a recognized program.  The CLT program at MCC is recognized by the New York State Education Department as licensure qualifying. Therefore, graduates are automatically eligible for state licensure as Certified Clinical Laboratory Technicians.

The program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Rd, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018; www.naacls.org. Graduates of this program are eligible to sit for the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) exam, which is used by New York as the licensure exam.