Are there any Medical Technologist's or Clinical Lab Scientist's here?

[Hunter's Moon]

I have questions about certification after undergraduate graduation. I'm considering majoring in Biology with Pre-med concentration and going onto Grad. school for either Microbiology or Evolutionary Biology (I'm sure I'll change my mind a million times before then, though). I'm confused about how to become certified as an MT or CLS though. http://www.ascp.org/FunctionalNavigation/certification/GetCertified/TechnologistCertification.aspx#ct

 

The site says you have to have a Bachelor's AND complete an NAACLS accredited program in CLS. Through my research online, I see some people have entered a NAACLS program and worked at the lab as an intern just so they can be eligible to sit for the exam. Is the MT/CLS exam though, or the MLT? Can I challenge the board to let me sit since I'd have a Bachelor's?

 

This isn't written in stone, just exploring my options.

 

I know I've seen a few MLT's around here, so maybe there's an MT? :D

 

Thanks.

[Mona100]

I have questions about certification after undergraduate graduation. I'm considering majoring in Biology with Pre-med concentration and going onto Grad. school for either Microbiology or Evolutionary Biology (I'm sure I'll change my mind a million times before then, though). I'm confused about how to become certified as an MT or CLS though. http://www.ascp.org/FunctionalNavigation/certification/GetCertified/TechnologistCertification.aspx#ct

 

The site says you have to have a Bachelor's AND complete an NAACLS accredited program in CLS. Through my research online, I see some people have entered a NAACLS program and worked at the lab as an intern just so they can be eligible to sit for the exam. Is the MT/CLS exam though, or the MLT? Can I challenge the board to let me sit since I'd have a Bachelor's?

 

This isn't written in stone, just exploring my options.

 

I know I've seen a few MLT's around here, so maybe there's an MT? :D

 

Thanks.

 

 

Hiya again! I am an MLT who just completed a NAACLS program to sit for the board of registry exam for the MLS. I know there are some MLTs who went and got their bachelor's in something else but still had the science courses and work experience to "challenge" the board. But getting just a biology degree does not guarantee that you will get a job in a clinical laboratory. You would have to have lab experience to "challenge" the board. I know at the hospitals around here they don't hire people who haven't been thru a MLT/MLS program of some sort. I think that was an option that ASCP put in there to grandfather people in that was hired that way 30-40-50 years ago. Nowadays, it is better to go to a clinical lab school so you can work in a clinical lab. In fact, I got my paperwork yesterday from ASCP so I can now go sit for my registry as an MLS. So excited. I gotta start studying again. I hope this answered your question.

[Twigs]

The site says you have to have a Bachelor's AND complete an NAACLS accredited program in CLS.

 

 

This is Route 1. Most MTs that I know majored in Medical Technolgy so that the NAACLS program was part of their course work for their BS. I’ve known some that went through the NAACLS program to get their training after earning their BS – this adds 1 to 1 ½ years of education / training.

 

All the routes for MT/CLS require a Baccalaureate degree with appropriate courses (see each route for more details) AND

Route 1 - completion of a NAACLS accredited Medical Laboratory Science program OR

Route 2 - MLT(ASCP) AND 2 years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience OR

Route 4 - 5 years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience

 

I have an AAS in Medical Laboratory Science (1981) and MLT certification (Route 1 for MLT). Then when I earned my BS degree (in Physics, 1990), I took the exam (Route 2) for MT, so now I have certification for both MLT and MT.

 

I work in a lab that processes donated blood (infectious disease testing and ABO Rh, etc.). There are very.few techs with training and certification. A few have gone Route 4 and earned their certification through self study and experience.

 

When I worked in a hospital, all techs had been through training programs and taken the exam. I think it will be difficult to get experience in all the areas (blood bank, micro, hematology, clicical chemistry) to take the exam without having the training and certification.

 

Hope this helps.

Best wishes.

[cjshima]

I obtained my MT/CLS license in California in 1992 and worked at UCI Medical Center for 12 years in the microbiology dept.(before staying home full time to homeschool my kids). In California, it's a little different because a state license is required (there are a few other states in the country that also require this). I obtained a bachelor's degree in Biology and then entered a 1 year training program. I agree with the previous post that it would be extremely difficult to pass the licensing exam with only lab experience and no formal training. The licensing exam is really tough! I've heard that the fail rate is very high for people who didn't go through the training program (of course this was in 1992!) - usually these would be people from other countries who were medical technologists and needed to get licenses in this country.