Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-2011.00United States
Perform complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. May train or supervise staff.
- Median annual earnings
- $62,842
- Projected change
- +6.1%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 346.09K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
66.1% of the workforce
Growing to 367.16K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What medical and clinical laboratory technologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Analyze laboratory findings to check the accuracy of the results.
- Conduct chemical analysis of body fluids, including blood, urine, or spinal fluid, to determine presence of normal or abnormal components.
- Analyze samples of biological material for chemical content or reaction.
- Enter data from analysis of medical tests or clinical results into computer for storage.
- Set up, clean, and maintain laboratory equipment.
- Collect and study blood samples to determine the number of cells, their morphology, or their blood group, blood type, or compatibility for transfusion purposes, using microscopic techniques.
- Operate, calibrate, or maintain equipment used in quantitative or qualitative analysis, such as spectrophotometers, calorimeters, flame photometers, or computer-controlled analyzers.
- Establish or monitor quality assurance programs or activities to ensure the accuracy of laboratory results.
- Supervise, train, or direct lab assistants, medical and clinical laboratory technicians or technologists, or other medical laboratory workers engaged in laboratory testing.
- Select and prepare specimens and media for cell cultures, using aseptic technique and knowledge of medium components and cell requirements.
- Obtain, cut, stain, and mount biological material on slides for microscopic study and diagnosis, following standard laboratory procedures.
- Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers.
- Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $38,718
- 25th percentile
- $47,478
- 50th percentile
- $62,842
- 75th percentile
- $81,611
- 90th percentile
- $101,595
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $62,842 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.1%faster than average
2025346,085 jobs
2035 projected367,162 jobs
21,077 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 66.1%
- Associate degree
- 32.4%
- Some college
- 1.5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Medical Technologists4,980 postings
- 02Clinical Laboratory Scientists4,649 postings
- 03Medical Technologists/Medical Laboratory Technicians3,183 postings
- 04Medical Technologists/Medical Laboratory Scientists1,830 postings
- 05Medical Laboratory Technologists1,342 postings
- 06Clinical Laboratory Technologists1,189 postings
- 07Travel Medical Technologists1,157 postings
- 08Laboratory Technologists1,017 postings
- 09Medical Technologists/Clinical Laboratory Scientists957 postings
- 10Medical Technologists ASCP856 postings
- 11Blood Bank Medical Technologists835 postings
- 12Medical Laboratory Scientists735 postings
- 13Medical Technologists/Microbiologists291 postings
- 14Microbiology Medical Technologists288 postings
- 15Polysomnographic Technologists282 postings
- 16Sleep Technologists267 postings
- 17Lead Medical Technologists243 postings
- 18Blood Bank Technologists221 postings
- 19Travel Medical Laboratory Technologists191 postings
- 20Flow Cytometry Technologists166 postings
Top employers
- 01K&A Recruiting6,740 postings
- 02Labcorp766 postings
- 03Aya Healthcare528 postings
- 04HCA Healthcare493 postings
- 05AMN Healthcare418 postings
- 06Soliant Health304 postings
- 07Prime Time Healthcare288 postings
- 08CHRISTUS Health271 postings
- 09Mercy244 postings
- 10Gqr243 postings
- 11Fusion Medical Staffing237 postings
- 12MedPro Healthcare Staffing227 postings
- 13United States Department of Veterans Affairs227 postings
- 14Supplemental Health Care219 postings
- 15Titan Medical207 postings
- 16NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital195 postings
- 17Triage Staffing189 postings
- 18Community Health Systems Professional Services Corporation167 postings
- 19Actalent166 postings
- 20Trinity Health158 postings
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