Medical Laboratory Technologist
Impact: Patient outcomes and public health
Analyzes biological samples to perform complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 70% Team / 30% Solo
- Client facing
- Rarely
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Structured
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $62,930
- Entry-level
- $50,000 - $58,000
- Senior
- $75,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 1% (slower than average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Very Low
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate to 30-50% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $20,000 - $30,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Clinical Laboratory Testing
- Medical Software
- Data Analysis
- Quality Control
- Microbiology
- Chemistry
Soft skills
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Attention to Detail
- Problem Solving
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- Varies by State
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 7-10 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Medical Laboratory Technologist
- Lead Technologist
- Laboratory Manager
- Director of Laboratory Services
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 47% to moderate risk
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.4/10
- Meaning
- 3.8/10
- Work-life balance
- 3/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High