Medical Laboratory Technician

Medical laboratory technicians carry out routine laboratory tests and other procedures for use in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the human body.

Medical laboratory technicians may perform the following tasks:

set up equipment used in the laboratory and maintain it in a clean condition
prepare and stain slides of micro-organisms for microscopic examination
collect blood samples, perform blood counts and perform tests to determine bleeding, coagulation time, blood types and other characteristics
communicate results of tests to the medical officers who have requested them.

Specialisations:

Some areas in which medical laboratory technicians may work are:

Anatomical Pathology where they process samples of tissue that have been surgically removed from the body so that the pathologist may make a diagnosis.
Clinical Chemistry (Biochemistry) where they test blood and body fluids to determine abnormalities in the blood, often using specialised instrumentation.
Cytology where they prepare and stain smears of body tissues or fluids and examine them with a microscope, looking for cancer or cell changes that may lead to cancer.
Haematology where they examine blood, work out its type, perform blood counts and generally assist in the study of blood and its disorders in order to diagnose diseases such as leukaemia and iron deficiency anaemia.
Medical Microbiology where they receive samples such as wound swabs, urine and faeces, help to isolate and identify micro-organisms associated with various diseases and infections and examine samples for evidence of these micro-organisms.

Phlebotomist

A phlebotomist practises the drawing of blood for therapeutic, transfusion, diagnostic or experimental purposes.

Medical laboratory technicians work as part of a team with doctors, scientists and laboratory assistants.

Job Guide