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.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-2012.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians separately. These are the figures for Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (29-2010), a combined BLS occupation that includes it.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $38,910 | $47,650 | $62,930 | $81,450 | $100,990 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 7,250 | $49,440 | 1.60 |
| Alaska | 680 | $60,950 | 0.97 |
| Arizona | 6,440 | $62,530 | 0.93 |
| Arkansas | 3,180 | $49,670 | 1.14 |
| California | 29,210 | $76,010 | 0.75 |
| Colorado | 5,000 | $70,050 | 0.81 |
| Connecticut | 3,670 | $65,310 | 1.01 |
| Delaware | 690 | $68,630 | 0.67 |
| District of Columbia | 960 | $76,560 | 0.64 |
| Florida | 25,790 | $60,510 | 1.21 |
| Georgia | 11,540 | $62,180 | 1.10 |
| Hawaii | 1,090 | $66,020 | 0.81 |
| Idaho | 1,590 | $47,450 | 0.87 |
| Illinois | 10,330 | $71,950 | 0.79 |
| Indiana | 7,210 | $57,080 | 1.05 |
| Iowa | 3,240 | $54,260 | 0.97 |
| Kansas | 3,930 | $62,050 | 1.28 |
| Kentucky | 4,860 | $60,880 | 1.13 |
| Louisiana | 3,790 | $54,460 | 0.91 |
| Maine | 1,250 | $68,690 | 0.91 |
| Maryland | 6,200 | $63,690 | 1.05 |
| Massachusetts | 10,850 | $79,120 | 1.39 |
| Michigan | 10,000 | $61,260 | 1.06 |
| Minnesota | 7,190 | $74,440 | 1.14 |
| Mississippi | 3,070 | $50,640 | 1.23 |
| Missouri | 7,670 | $60,300 | 1.22 |
| Montana | 1,020 | $65,190 | 0.93 |
| Nebraska | 1,930 | $60,540 | 0.88 |
| Nevada | 2,040 | $57,320 | 0.61 |
| New Hampshire | 800 | $81,020 | 0.54 |
| New Jersey | 7,000 | $68,450 | 0.76 |
| New Mexico | 2,160 | $47,360 | 1.16 |
| New York | 16,460 | $97,280 | 0.79 |
| North Carolina | 13,710 | $60,650 | 1.30 |
| North Dakota | 1,370 | $62,680 | 1.49 |
| Ohio | 13,050 | $63,800 | 1.10 |
| Oklahoma | 4,250 | $53,300 | 1.16 |
| Oregon | 2,660 | $83,010 | 0.63 |
| Pennsylvania | 13,020 | $51,680 | 1.00 |
| Rhode Island | 1,060 | $75,780 | 0.98 |
| South Carolina | 4,380 | $55,280 | 0.89 |
| South Dakota | 1,280 | $60,890 | 1.31 |
| Tennessee | 8,410 | $62,070 | 1.20 |
| Texas | 29,530 | $59,290 | 0.98 |
| Utah | 6,370 | $49,090 | 1.71 |
| Vermont | 460 | $78,680 | 0.71 |
| Virginia | 7,150 | $61,050 | 0.81 |
| Washington | 7,430 | $72,760 | 0.98 |
| West Virginia | 1,800 | $61,810 | 1.20 |
| Wisconsin | 8,480 | $60,670 | 1.35 |
| Wyoming | 450 | $65,510 | 0.75 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | 4 | 0.980 |
| 2 | Nuclear Medicine Technologists | 3 | 0.970 |
| 3 | Histotechnologists | 4 | 0.968 |
| 4 | Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.961 |
| 5 | Endoscopy Technicians | 1-2 | 0.960 |
| 6 | Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.956 |
| 7 | Neurodiagnostic Technologists | 3 | 0.954 |
| 8 | Histology Technicians | 3 | 0.952 |
| 9 | Nurse Anesthetists | 5 | 0.952 |
| 10 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | 3 | 0.947 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | Active Listening | 0.76 | 0.961 |
| Surgical Technologists | Management of Material Resources | 1.38 | 0.943 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | Active Listening | 0.76 | 0.929 |
| Embalmers | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.927 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians, excluding software Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| eClinicalWorks EHR software | 6 of 20 | 5.8x |
| Practice management software PMS | 4 of 20 | 11.5x |
| Cerner Millennium | 3 of 20 | 15.4x |
| GE Healthcare Centricity EMR | 3 of 20 | 6.3x |
| Scheduling software | 4 of 20 | 2.6x |
| Medical procedure coding software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
| JavaScript | 4 of 20 | 2.2x |
| Graphics software | 3 of 20 | 2.7x |
| Microsoft Access | 8 of 20 | 1.0x |
| Adobe Acrobat | 3 of 20 | 0.8x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.25 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.12 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 4.04 | 4.83 |
| English Language | 4.01 | 4.64 |
| Biology | 3.69 | 4.32 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.67 | 3.10 |
| Education and Training | 3.49 | 3.94 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.45 | 4.34 |
| Administrative | 3.43 | 3.58 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.42 | 4.34 |
| Mathematics | 3.32 | 4.04 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.18 | 2.50 |
| Mechanical | 3.02 | 2.43 |
| Psychology | 2.90 | 3.32 |
| Production and Processing | 2.76 | 3.12 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.65 | 2.38 |
| Administration and Management | 2.60 | 2.52 |
| Telecommunications | 2.57 | 1.88 |
| Communications and Media | 2.34 | 2.02 |
| Law and Government | 2.34 | 1.74 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.23 | 1.89 |
| Physics | 2.20 | 2.00 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.16 | 1.80 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.00 | not rated |
| Transportation | 1.92 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.62 | 0.83 |
| Foreign Language | 1.58 | 1.24 |
| Design | 1.54 | 1.22 |
| Geography | 1.45 | 0.89 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.42 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.38 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.14 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.04 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.00 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Near Vision | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Information Ordering | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.75 | 3.25 |
| Oral Expression | 3.62 | 3.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.50 | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Control Precision | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Number Facility | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Memorization | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Originality | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Time Sharing | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Visualization | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Reaction Time | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Rate Control | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Stamina | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Static Strength | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Response Orientation | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Google Docs hot
- MEDITECH software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- SAP software hot
- Billing software
- Commercial plate reader software
- Data entry software
- Database software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Email software
- FileMaker Pro
- Hematology laboratory workflow management software
- IBM Notes
- Laboratory information system LIS
- Medical digital imaging software
- Medical system integration software
- Microscopic image capturing software
- Minitab
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- Quality control software
- Quizlet
- Reimbursement screening software
- Specimen tracking software
- Sunquest Information Systems Sunquest Laboratory
- Test result delivery software
- Test routing software
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians separately. These are the figures for Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (29-2010), a combined BLS occupation that includes it.
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington, NC | 1,820 | 12.54 | $51,000 |
| Rochester, MN | 2,880 | 10.94 | Not available |
| Kankakee, IL | 820 | 9.05 | $61,200 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 830 | 4.12 | $56,660 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 2,840 | 3.85 | Not available |
| Madison, WI | 2,790 | 3.20 | $59,090 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 4,860 | 2.75 | $48,630 |
| New Haven, CT | 1,540 | 2.56 | Not available |
| Ponce, PR | 340 | 2.53 | $36,280 |
| Birmingham, AL | 2,790 | 2.51 | $51,430 |