Career Opportunities for Majors in Medical Technology


Introduction

Medical technology, also called clinical laboratory science, is an allied health profession. Medical technologists perform laboratory procedures which enable physicians to detect, diagnose and treat disease. These activities include the analysis of body fluids and cells, blood typing, micro-organism screening, cell counts, and chemical analyses. They often use sophisticated automated equipment and instruments that perform a number of tests simultaneously.

Technologists in small labs perform many types of tests while those in large labs often specialize. Those who analyze the chemical and hormonal contents of body fluids are called clinical chemistry technologists. Blood bank technologists collect, type and prepare blood for transfusion. Microbiology specialists examine and identify bacteria and parasites. Cytotechnologists have specialized training in the microscopic screening of cells for abnormalities.

Students typically spend three years on campus completing prerequisite coursework and a fourth year in a clinical internship at one of five approved hospitals. The academic requirements include successful completion ("C" or higher) of general, organic and quantitative chemistry, and general biology, genetics, microbiology and immunology.

Application to the clinical internship program is made in the fall semester of your junior year. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.8 to be considered; entry is competitive. Satisfactory completion of the 50 week clinical internship leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology and eligibility to take various national certification exams. 

 

A Sample of Related Occupations

Analytical Chemist Cytotechnologist Microbiologist
Bacteriologist Food and Drug Inspector Parasitologist
Biochemist Hemotherapist Pharmaceutical Sales Rep.
Blood Bank Technologist Histologist Public Health Specialist
Chemist Medical Equipment Sales Rep. Quality Control Specialist
Clinical Chemistry Technologist Medical Librarian Research Assistant
Clinical Pathologist Medical Laboratory Manager Toxicologist
Crime Lab Analyst Medical Technologist  
 

Types of Employers

Private and Non-Profit Organizations

Biotechnology firms

 Hospitals 
Blood banks Laboratories

Clinics

Medical equipment manufacturers
Colleges and universities

Physician's offices

Diagnostic testing companies

Pharmaceutical companies

Health maintenance organizations

 Research institutes
 
   
 
Government Agencies

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

National Institute of Health

Department of Health and Human Services

NJ State Department of Health

Department of Justice

Peace Corps/Americorps

Department of State 

US Armed Services

Food and Drug Administration

 

Jobs Obtained by Rutgers Graduates
 
First Jobs of Recent Graduates
Jobs of Experienced Alumni
CMP Operator, Psicor Office Laboratories Assistant Pharmacologist, Hoffmann-La Roche
Medical Laboratory Technologist, Valley Hospital Biochemist, Schering-Plough Research Institute (MS Biochemistry)
Medical Technician, Princeton Medical Center Chief Medical Technologist, Arden Hill Hospital
Medical Technologist, Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals Cytotechnologist, Norwalk Hospital
Medical Technologist, Good Samaritan Hospital Director of Technical Services, Blood Center of NJ
Medical Technologist, St. Barnabas Medical Center Forensic Chemist, NJ State Police
Teacher, South Plainfield High School Health Economics Research Specialist, Department of Health (MBA)
Technical Service/Support Rep., Polestar Labs, Inc. Hematology Supervisor, General Hospital Center at Passaic
Industrial Hygienist, Hughes Aircraft Co.
Manager of Technical Services, Ortho Diagnostic Systems Inc. (MBA)
Medical Research Associate, Knoll Pharmaceuticals
Medical Technologist, Atlantic City Medical Center
Medical Technologist, CentraState Healthcare
Microbiologist, Schering-Plough
Physician, Life Balance Health Care (MD)
Quality Assurance Manager, Abbott Laboratories
Science Teacher, South Plainfield School District
Sr. Regulatory Affairs Assoc., Hoffmann-La Roche
Sr. Research Technician, Exxon Corp.

 

Sample of Graduate Schools Attended
California College of Health Sciences, Management Fairleigh Dickinson University, MS, Biochemistry

 


 

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Updated 8/9/07

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