Medical technologists are clinical laboratory scientists who play a key role in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease. They make use of hundreds of scientific procedures that have been devised to detect the changes that diseases produce in the body, performing tests in microbiology, immunology, blood banking, hematology and chemistry. They use clinical instrumentation and rely increasingly upon computers for analyzing and transmitting laboratory data. Most medical technologists work in hospitals, public health agencies, research institutions, pharmaceutical companies or other medical and industrial laboratories.
Graduates are able to choose from several entry-level technologist positions in hospitals.
Medical technologists with graduate training in biochemistry, immunohematology, microbiology, immunology or virology often become department heads. With experience a medical technologist may become a supervisor, become involved in education or be a technical representative for a commercial organization. Curriculum Students in medical technology take courses which promote proficiency in communication, the behavioral sciences, humanities and applied arts and sciences. The curriculum also includes a core of biology and chemistry courses. This core, which is completed within the first three years, provides the academic background for the professional portion of the program.