Unit Group

3212 Medical Laboratory Technicians

Medical laboratory technicians conduct routine medical laboratory tests and set up, clean and maintain medical laboratory equipment. They are employed in medical laboratories in hospitals, clinics, research institutes and universities and in government research laboratories.

Example Titles

• medical laboratory aide
• medical laboratory assistant
• medical laboratory technician
• phlebotomist
• phlebotomy aide

View all titles

Main duties

Medical laboratory technicians perform some or all of the following duties:

• Collect blood or other samples from patients
• Receive tissue samples from patients
• Log patient samples and prepare them for testing
• Set up medical laboratory equipment
• Conduct routine laboratory tests and sample analyses
• Clean and maintain medical laboratory and medical laboratory equipment.

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school and on-the-job training
  or
  Completion of a 6- to 14-month program for medical laboratory technicians/assistants is required.

• Combined laboratory and X-ray technicians require completion of a combined laboratory X-ray technology program.

Additional information

• Training as a licensed practical nurse, medical technician or in a related occupation is usually required for phlebotomists or phlebotomy aides.

Classified elsewhere

• Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologists' Assistants (3211)