MLT? Anyout here?

What's an MLT? (Stupid question maybe, but I really don't know)

Medical Lab. Technologist...you can get a bach., Masters, even a Dr degree in it. I think its pretty cool I love chemistry! Anyhow thats what it is ...

Oh,, duh! I'm a little out of it at times. A friend of mine is a lab tech and absolutely loves it. She has worked in Canada and North Carolina. She's also a science nut. The one thing she doesn't like is us nurses calling and harassing her sometimes and it can get somewhat repetetive. But she likes the atmosphere of the work very much.

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Hello, I have been a lab tech for nearly 20 years. I am now in nursing school and I am absolutely loving it. But, to answer your questions, it is rewarding and I did love my job.

I enjoyed the science of it and the investigative aspect of it as well. While the Physicians still do the diagnosing, the lab tech provides him/her with the tools in which to do it effectively. I found that you have as much or as little interaction with the patient as you would desire, some like a lot, others like none at all. That is my spin on it!

I am a Clinical Laboratory Scientist - aka Medical Technologist. I would not recommend it (for reasons other than the job itself). PM me if you would like more info.

I too have been a medical technologist in Blood Bank, Chemistry, Micro and Immunology in the state of PA for over 20 years. There is a big difference in the responsibilities of the BS degree Medical Technologist and the AS degree Medical Laboratory Technician. Pay is very different also. I dont know what the MLT is, but our MT range was recently ADJUSTED to 12.50-23.00 per hour.

In my opinion, the field requires way too much education and offers way too little pay. Respect for med techs is also very LOW.

We know our lab tests inside and out, yet everyone wants to argue with us....for example...oh please run those umpteen test with the teeny hemolyzed drop I was able to draw...never mind that the instrument needs a certain amount to operate! Oh...yeah I know that Blood bank tubes need to be labelled, but I was in a hurry and this patient is crashing....and its the labs fault that the blood takes so long!!!!

Well, you get the idea. I love the work, but hate the conditions. Know what you are getting in to before it is too late.

Also...dont plan on getting the pay increases, overtime or bonuses nurses get. Our hospital gives periodic market adjustments to nurses, but everyone else gets a wage freeze or else a meager 3 percent cost of living with annual evaluation. Our recent range adjustment is the first I have seen in eons..and its not that fabulous.

It is nice to see the attention lab work is getting lately from shows like CSI and Medical Investigation. I got interested in the field from watching the TV show Quincy years ago. Maybe with the average age of laboratory workers increasing, the lab will be seen as a vital part of health care too.

I too have been a medical technologist in Blood Bank, Chemistry, Micro and Immunology in the state of PA for over 20 years. There is a big difference in the responsibilities of the BS degree Medical Technologist and the AS degree Medical Laboratory Technician. Pay is very different also. I dont know what the MLT is, but our MT range was recently ADJUSTED to 12.50-23.00 per hour.

In my opinion, the field requires way too much education and offers way too little pay. Respect for med techs is also very LOW.

We know our lab tests inside and out, yet everyone wants to argue with us....for example...oh please run those umpteen test with the teeny hemolyzed drop I was able to draw...never mind that the instrument needs a certain amount to operate! Oh...yeah I know that Blood bank tubes need to be labelled, but I was in a hurry and this patient is crashing....and its the labs fault that the blood takes so long!!!!

Well, you get the idea. I love the work, but hate the conditions. Know what you are getting in to before it is too late.

amen......amen.....amen....amen! Note to the original poster - don't do it!

Also...dont plan on getting the pay increases, overtime or bonuses nurses get. Our hospital gives periodic market adjustments to nurses, but everyone else gets a wage freeze or else a meager 3 percent cost of living with annual evaluation. Our recent range adjustment is the first I have seen in eons..and its not that fabulous.

You are the redheaded step child of the hospital when you work in the lab. It does chap me when anyone from the lab is referred to as a "lab tech". This is a put down, especially when you consider our education. CALLING EVERYONE IN THE LAB A "TECH" IS THE EQUIVALENT OF US CALLING ALL OF YOU NURSES "PATIENT CARE ASSISTANTS". The lab techs are the "Medical Technologists" - we have 4 year BS degrees - a biology major and a chemistry minor PLUS a 1 year internship and a national registry. The MLTs (TECHNICIANS) are 2 year associate degrees and the phlebotomists are frequently OTJ trained (some take a class in phlebotomy, and the dedicated ones get certified, but usually not paid any more for it).

There is NO respect for what we do.

These days I work solely in the Blood Bank. I had an experienced nurse from Cardiovascular intensive care come to pick up blood recently...now I have worked with her for years, and she was shocked to learn that we in the Blood Bank were not nurses.

grr :angryfire

And another thing

I work a lot of weekends and had an OR nurse tell me to "take your time with that blood...I am on double, triple overtime today"

Yeah, right. I replied that "we only have ONE speed inthe Blood Bank and that is STAT" :chuckle