Technician Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.

These are the MediaLab courses that cover Technician and links to relevant pages within the course.

Learn more about laboratory continuing education for medical technologists to earn CE credit for AMT, ASCP, NCA, and state license renewal and recertification. Or get information about laboratory safety and compliance courses that deliver cost-effective OSHA safety training and continuing education to your laboratory's employees.

Cerebrospinal Fluid

Chemical Screening of Urine by Reagent Strip

Confirmatory and Secondary Urinalysis Screening Tests

Department of Transportation (DOT) Regulated Urine Specimen Collection Training

Monitored collection

For monitored collections, the Department of Transportation classifies the following as health professionals: Physician Medical Technologist Medical Laboratory Technician Nurse (RN/LPN) Physician's Assistant/Nurse Practitioner Medical Technician (A medical technician is anyone who is licensed or certified to practice in the institution where the collection is being done. For example, a phlebotomist, EMT, or medical assistant.)

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Introduction to Quality Control

Instrument Maintenance

Instruments require regular maintenance by laboratory personnel, and sometimes by qualified repair technicians. The instrument manufacturer will provide recommendations for how often to perform maintenance; those recommendations should be followed. Generally, a log book will document the details of the maintenance: date time name of employee or service engineer description of maintenance done, including listing any parts replaced description of problems encountered description of steps taken to resolve the problem and verify the instrument is functioning, after the changes were madeInstrument logs should be regularly reviewed by supervisors to monitor instrument performance. By reviewing the logs, the supervisor can make changes to the maintenance schedule, based on the frequency of breakdowns.

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Introduction to the ABO Blood Group System

Laws and Rules of the Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel
Public health laboratory scientists Public health laboratory scientists are also regulated by the Board. The table below outlines the various requirements for applicants to receive licensure for a public health laboratory. Public Health Laboratory RequirementsDirectorFulfill the same requirements as a clinical laboratory directorSupervisorBe certified by National Registry in Clinical Chemistry or American Society for MicrobiologyBe licensed as a technologistHave five year's relevant experiencePass the state examTechnician (microbiology)Have a Bachelor's degree in one of the biological sciencesObtain American Society for Microbiology or the National Registry in Microbiology Certification in Public Health Microbiology Technician (chemistry)Have a Bachelor's degree in one of the chemical, biological, or physical sciencesObtain National Registry of Clinical Chemistry Certification in Public Health ChemistryTechnician (conditional)Have a Bachelor's degree in one of the chemical or biological sciencesPerform tests only under the direct supervision of a licensed pathologist, director, supervisor, or technologist.Receives a conditional two-year license, which may be renewed only once A license from the Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel allows you to work in a public health laboratory at the same level and specialty.	View Page
Technologist Qualifications Meets one of the following:Bachelor's degree in clinical laboratory, chemical or biological science plus:Completion of a medical technologist training program ORThree years of laboratory experience, at least one of which must be in the applied-for specialtyAssociate's degree plus:Florida technician's license and completion of a technician level medical laboratory training program ORFive years of laboratory experience, at least one of which must be in the applied-for specialtyPasses an examination in one or more specialtiesCompletes one hour of HIV / AIDS continuing educationCompletes two hours of medical errors continuing education	View Page
Technician Qualifications Meets one of the following:Completes a medical lab technology training program at the technician levelHigh school or equivalency diploma + five years lab experienceAssociate's degree + four years lab experienceBachelor's degree + three years lab experienceBachelor's degree in medical technologyPasses an appropriate examination (certain specialties only)Completes one hour of HIV / AIDS continuing educationCompletes two hours of medical errors continuing education	View Page
Types of licenses Clinical laboratory personnel licenses are divided into four types: director, supervisor, technologist, and technician. Each type has different roles, responsibilities, qualifications, and continuing education requirements. When you apply for a license, you must apply for one of these four types. All licensed clinical laboratory personnel are permitted to collect, process, store, and ship specimens and perform manual testing procedures. Directors, supervisors, and technologists are permitted to interpret and report test results. In addition, each license is valid for one or more specialties. Clinical laboratory personnel are only permitted to conduct testing that falls under their specialty. Specialties include microbiology, chemistry, blood banking, immunology / serology, and more. A full list will be presented later in this program.	View Page
Description of Specialties (3) Specialists in radioassay use radionuclides to determine the chemical makeup of body fluids such as blood and urine. Specialists in blood gas analysis evaluate lung and breathing function by levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH, and hemoglobin with automated tests. Specialists in histology examine cellular and tissue samples using fixation, dehydration, embedding, microtomy, frozen sectioning, staining, and other similar techniques. Histology specialists licensed as technicians can perform specimen processing, embedding, cutting, staining, and frozen sectioning only under the general supervision of a director, supervisor, or technologist. Specialists in cytology process and interpret samples relating cytopathological disease. Non-gynecological cytology preparations can be screen by a specialist in cytology but final review and interpretation must be done by a physician.	View Page
Supervisor Responsibilities A supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day performance of laboratory testing and adherence to laboratory procedure. Other duties include:Performing technologist or technician duties as needed, if properly licensedConducting direct supervision of technologists and technicians if required by the test or the technologist's or technician's licenseEvaluating technologists' and technicians' competency in running tests and reports resultsBeing available to all personnel to answer questions and resolve problemsEnsuring that quality control is performed and corrective action taken if necessaryScheduling tests and personnelUpdating policy manualsProviding methods to identify, access, store, transport, and dispose of specimensFollowing company policy	View Page
Technician Responsibilities Technicians perform laboratory testing under direct and general supervision, as required by the test and the conditions of the technician's license. Other duties include:Performing tests only as authorized by the director and the technician's licensed specialty.Following the laboratory's procedure for specimen handling and running testsParticipating in proficiency testing and demonstrating that proficiency samples are tested in the same manner as patient samplesFollowing quality control and instrument calibration policiesDocumenting corrective action taken when results exceed the laboratory's acceptable performance valuesIdentifying potential problems with tests or report resultsNotifying a technologist or supervisor if results are outside the laboratory's acceptable performance levels	View Page
Competency and Licensing Violations Clinical laboratory personnel must be licensed and competent to perform their duties. This means holding the appropriate type of license for the task being performed (director, supervisor, technologist, or technician) and being certified in the appropriate specialty for any testing being performed. For example, an individual licensed as a technician in hematology may not perform the duties of a technologist in hematology, nor may that individual perform testing in the microbiology specialty. Showing a lack of competence to perform even licensed duties is a violation of Board rules. Consistent errors can tarnish a laboratory's reputation, and even a single error can harm patient care. Licensed personnel must be certain that they can perform their duties accurately and competently. All of the following are violations of Board rules:Performing clinical duties for which one does not hold a license.Performing services one knows one is not competent to perform.Showing lack of competence or making consistent errors in testing or reporting.Having a license revoked or suspended in another state.	View Page
Summary of Qualifications The table below summarizes the qualifications for the four types of clinical laboratory personnel licenses. DirectorPhysician certified in clinical pathology OR Non-physician with: Doctoral degreeCertification in a lab specialtyCompleted course on administrationContinuing education in HIV/AIDS and medical errorsSupervisorOne of the following:Doctoral degree + 1 year experienceMaster's degree + 3 years experienceBachelor's degree + 5 years experienceLicensed as a technologist or meets the requirementsOne of the following:Completed course on administration25 hours of CE in administrationCE in HIV / AIDS and medical errors.TechnologistOne of the following:Bachelor's degree + medical technologist training program OR 3 years experienceAssociate's degree + Florida technician's license and completion of a medical laboratory training program OR 5 years experienceCompleted exam in 1+ specialtiesCE in HIV / AIDS and medical errorsTechnicianMeets one of the following:Completed medical lab technology training programHigh school or equivalency diploma + 5 years experienceAssociate's degree + 4 years experienceBachelor's degree + 3 years experienceBachelor's degree in medical technologyCompleted exam (certain specialties only)CE in HIV / AIDS and medical errors	View Page
Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of a clinical laboratory supervisor?	View Page
Which of the following are violations of Board rules?	View Page
Which is not a type of Florida clinical laboratory license?	View Page
You cannot work in a clinical laboratory unless you have a four-year college degree.	View Page
Which of the following continuing education courses are required for ALL new clinical laboratory supervisors, technologists, and technicians?	View Page

Medical Error Prevention
Which statement(s) describe potential causes of medical errors involving the blood bank?	View Page
Types of Medical Errors Medical errors usually belong to one or more of these categories:	View Page
These statements describe sources of laboratory-related errors.	View Page

Normal Peripheral Blood Cells

Reading Gram Stained Smears From Cultures

The Urine Microscopic: Microscopic Analysis of Urine Sediment

Variations in White Cell Morphology - Granulocytes