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Medical technologist
 
 
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A medical technologist (MT) is a healthcare professional who performs diagnostic analytic tests on body fluids such as blood
Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
, urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
, sputum
Sputum

Sputum is matter that is expectorated from the respiratory tract, such as mucus or phlegm, mixed with saliva, which can then be spat from the mouth....
, stool
Feces

Feces, faeces, or f?ces is a waste product from an animal's gastrointestinal tract expelled through the anus during defecation....
, cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid

Cerebrospinal fluid , Liquor cerebrospinalis, is a clear bodily fluid that occupies the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system around and inside the brain....
 (CSF), peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid
Pericardial fluid

Pericardial FluidSurrounding the heart is a sac known as the pericardium, which consists of two membranes. The outer layer being the fibrous parietal pericardium and the inner layer being the serous visceral pericardium....
, and synovial fluid
Synovial fluid

Synovial fluid is a thick, stringy fluid found in the cavities of synovial joints. With its egg-like consistency , synovial fluid reduces friction between the articular cartilage and other tissues in joints to lubricate and cushion them during movement....
, as well as other specimens. Medical technologists work in clinical laboratories
Medical laboratory

A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient....
 at hospitals, doctor's offices, reference labs, and within the biotechnology industry.

ost four-year degree programs, the student attends classroom courses for 3 years and clinical rotations for 1 year.






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A medical technologist (MT) is a healthcare professional who performs diagnostic analytic tests on body fluids such as blood
Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
, urine
Urine

Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the kidneys by a process of filtration from blood called urination and excreted through the urethra....
, sputum
Sputum

Sputum is matter that is expectorated from the respiratory tract, such as mucus or phlegm, mixed with saliva, which can then be spat from the mouth....
, stool
Feces

Feces, faeces, or f?ces is a waste product from an animal's gastrointestinal tract expelled through the anus during defecation....
, cerebrospinal fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid

Cerebrospinal fluid , Liquor cerebrospinalis, is a clear bodily fluid that occupies the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system around and inside the brain....
 (CSF), peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid
Pericardial fluid

Pericardial FluidSurrounding the heart is a sac known as the pericardium, which consists of two membranes. The outer layer being the fibrous parietal pericardium and the inner layer being the serous visceral pericardium....
, and synovial fluid
Synovial fluid

Synovial fluid is a thick, stringy fluid found in the cavities of synovial joints. With its egg-like consistency , synovial fluid reduces friction between the articular cartilage and other tissues in joints to lubricate and cushion them during movement....
, as well as other specimens. Medical technologists work in clinical laboratories
Medical laboratory

A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient....
 at hospitals, doctor's offices, reference labs, and within the biotechnology industry.

Educational requirements

In most four-year degree programs, the student attends classroom courses for 3 years and clinical rotations for 1 year. This combination is called a 3+1 program; there are also 2+2 and 4+1 programs. In clinical rotations, the student experiences hands-on learning in each discipline of the laboratory. Under supervision, the student performs diagnostic testing in a functioning laboratory. Although not compensated, the student usually works 40 hours a week for 20 to 26 weeks, experiencing work as a full-time employee. A medical technologist typically earns a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
 in Medical Technology
Medical technology

Medical technology refers to the diagnosis or therapeutic application of science and technology to improve the management of health conditions. Technologies may encompass any means of identifying the nature of conditions to allow intervention with devices, pharmacology, biology or other methods to increase life span and/or improve the quality...
 (Clinical Laboratory Science) or in a life science, in which case certification from an accredited training program is also required. Limited universities now offer graduate level programs for career changes with undergraduate degrees in disciplines unrelated to science.

There are two year programs as well, but rather than being called a "Medical Technologist", the graduate is known as an MLT (Medical Laboratory Technician). The job is virtually the same, but the 4 year degree Medical Technologist earns a higher income and is trained much more extensively in the theory of the various MT disciplines. Some institutions, however, do not employ MLTs.

In Canada, 3 year diploma college programs are offered with 7 semesters, two being an unpaid internship. The student graduates before taking their standards examination (example: CSMLS) to be qualified as a Medical Laboratory Technologist or MLT. Many MLT's go on to receive their Bachelor of Science after their diploma. There are a select number of university programs that affiliate with a college MLT program allowing the student to graduate with both their degree and diploma.

Certification and licensing