Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians
Perform routine medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. May work under the supervision of a medical technologist.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Operations Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
Key knowledge
- Chemistry
- English Language
- Biology
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Education and Training
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
What the work involves
- Conduct chemical analyses of body fluids, such as blood or urine, using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases and enter findings into computer.
- Analyze the results of tests or experiments to ensure conformity to specifications, using special mechanical or electrical devices.
- Conduct blood tests for transfusion purposes and perform blood counts.
- Examine cells stained with dye to locate abnormalities.
- Consult with a pathologist to determine a final diagnosis when abnormal cells are found.
- Supervise or instruct other technicians or laboratory assistants.
- Prepare standard volumetric solutions or reagents to be combined with samples, following standardized formulas or experimental procedures.
- Set up, maintain, calibrate, clean, and test sterility of medical laboratory equipment.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree (62.7% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (30.2%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (52.6%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
- Projection education uses SOC 29-2010 (aggregate); it may describe a broader group.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 73% of occupations compared | 47% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 67% of occupations compared | 31% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 73% of occupations compared | 56% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 66% of occupations compared | 55% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Higher on time pressure than 59% of occupations compared | — |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 90% of occupations compared | 39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 56% of occupations compared | 27% of surveyed respondents chose “Never” |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 88% of occupations compared | 57% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: very high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 21.67%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 31.03%
- Constant contact with others: 47.31%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 31.06%
- Fairly important: 12.33%
- Important: 14.27%
- Very important: 12.38%
- Extremely important: 29.96%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 9.29%
- Fairly important: 9.29%
- Important: 12.37%
- Very important: 13.48%
- Extremely important: 55.57%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 3.13%
- Very little freedom: 9.4%
- Limited freedom: 4.33%
- Some freedom: 54.94%
- A lot of freedom: 28.2%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: 1.31%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 11.54%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 26.43%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 10.23%
- Every day: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 30.16%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 39.18%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 17.15%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 13.52%
- Every day: 0%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 27.09%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 13.52%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 18.49%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 25.39%
- Every day: 15.52%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 9.29%
- Fairly serious: 9.29%
- Serious: 11.18%
- Very serious: 13.52%
- Extremely serious: 56.72%
n = 21, Incumbent 08/2026
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
- Analyze
Endoscopy Technicians
Closeness 93/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Biological Technicians
Closeness 91/100 · job zone +1
- Analyze
Radiation Therapists
Closeness 91/100
- Analyze
Chemical Technicians
Closeness 91/100
- Analyze
Phlebotomists
Closeness 91/100
- Analyze
Dental Laboratory Technicians
Closeness 91/100 · job zone -1
Find more alternativesCompare skills with another job
O*NET-SOC 29-2012.00 · SOC 29-2010 (aggregate, low confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8