Run tests on blood, tissue, and other samples to help doctors diagnose and treat disease.
You may also see this posted as: Laboratory Assistant (Lab Assistant), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Medical Laboratory Technicians (Medical Lab Technician), Certified Clinical Laboratory Technician, Clinical Laboratory Technician (Clinical Lab Technician).
Hospital and clinical labs; at a bench with instruments and samples.
Full-time; shifts including nights, weekends, and holidays.
Realistic
working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world
Investigative
solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work
Conventional
organizing information, following systems, and getting details right
O*NET job zone 3 of 5
Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.
Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.
May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.
Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.
“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.
BLS estimates 0.5% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.
Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.
Bachelor's degree
Training path: Degree + certification.
Related work experience: None.
On-the-job training: None.
Some states require a license; certification is widely expected.
Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.
Every diagnosis runs through a lab — steady, hospital-based science.
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Browse verified internships, fellowships, and programs — many paid — that lead into fields like this.
Free resume templates, interview practice, and getting-hired guides in the Careers kit.
Standard Occupational Classification 29-2010. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.