A Career as a Laboratory Professional: Why Medical Technology is so Important to Healthcare
Physicians rely on laboratory data to diagnose and treat many conditions. Without the information supplied by laboratorians, doctors have only signs and symptoms to determine the causative factor of the patient complaints. When a person goes to their provider complaining of fever and weakness, the physician needs to determine the reason why these symptoms are occurring, and this is where the laboratory, and the medical technologist comes in.
The role of the medical technologist is wide and varied. Laboratory personnel are trained in multiple disciplines. Each discipline requires extensive knowledge and training regarding laboratory values, both normal and abnormal, and disease states associated with each. Lets take a look at each area of the laboratory separately.
Microbiology
The microbiology laboratory primarily looks for infectious agents of disease. That is, the technologists who work in this department look for bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, and other microorganisms that have evaded the patient's immune system, and are causing illness. To perform these duties, one must be trained to recognize the visual and chemical properties of thousands of different "bugs". MRSA infections, foodborne illness, and sexually transmitted diseases are just some of the infections that are primarily discovered through microbiological analysis. The microbiology laboratorian must then test many of these agents against a battery of drugs, to determine what medications the doctor can prescribe for the patient. Due to the growing problem of drug resistance, this task becomes even more important to ensure that the patient has a successful outcome.
Blood Banking (Immunohematology)
The role of the medical technologist is wide and varied. Laboratory personnel are trained in multiple disciplines. Each discipline requires extensive knowledge and training regarding laboratory values, both normal and abnormal, and disease states associated with each. Lets take a look at each area of the laboratory separately.
Microbiology
The microbiology laboratory primarily looks for infectious agents of disease. That is, the technologists who work in this department look for bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, and other microorganisms that have evaded the patient's immune system, and are causing illness. To perform these duties, one must be trained to recognize the visual and chemical properties of thousands of different "bugs". MRSA infections, foodborne illness, and sexually transmitted diseases are just some of the infections that are primarily discovered through microbiological analysis. The microbiology laboratorian must then test many of these agents against a battery of drugs, to determine what medications the doctor can prescribe for the patient. Due to the growing problem of drug resistance, this task becomes even more important to ensure that the patient has a successful outcome.
Blood Banking (Immunohematology)
- The Clinical Laboratory: a "behind the scenes" look at an essential part of your medical care.
- Medical technologists are trained in multiple laboratory disciplines.
- Physicians use laboratory data to aide in disease diagnosis.
Comments
Very interesting read!
Medical Technology professionals are very important. Very nicely done. :-)
When you broke it down so clearly (with various topics of hematology and chemistry, for instance) I could understand the importance and role of medical technology and technicians so much better. Thanks!
:)
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