How To Become A Medical Technologist Lead: What It Is and Career Path

What is a medical technologist lead and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Shelby McCarty MSNPA

Medical technologists run tests and analyze samples to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. They are also responsible for maintaining the equipment and responding to test requests appropriately and on time. Medical technologists are crucial to patient care because up to 70% of medical decisions are based on lab results.

A day in a medical technologist's life involves receiving blood or tissue samples, preparing them for analysis, and running proper tests. These professionals may also interpret the results and clean the equipment after each test.

A medical technologist lead also has administrative duties in addition to running tests. He/She may be in charge of procuring new reagents for tests, supervising the department's budget, and training new staff.

To become a medical technologist lead, you'll need at least a bachelor's degree in a relevant field like medical lab science, applied biology. You'll also need accreditation from the national practicing body -- The American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

What general advice would you give to a Medical Technologist Lead?

Shelby McCarty MSNPA

Public Relations Coordinator

Maximizing salary potential as a medical laboratory scientist requires a combination of skill development, pursual of advanced education, and proactive career management. As a graduate prepares to enter the job market, it is important to research salary trends in various locations and understand that salary can vary depending on geographic location. Multiple factors play a role in influencing salary: experience, education level, cost-of-living, shift work, among others. MLS graduates should use that first job to gain experience, building a strong foundation of practical skills. They may search for positions in high-demand areas, such as molecular diagnostics, where they can acquire specialized skills. On the other hand, gaining experience in all departments of the laboratory, can make a MLS more well-rounded, which is desirable for many MLS positions. The experience gained in a variety of departments provides a MLS the opportunity to take on a travel position, which has a higher earning potential. A MLS may consider pursuing an advanced degree or certification relevant to medical laboratory science, such as a graduate degree or specialty certifications like molecular biology, hematology, or blood banking. It is also important to look for opportunities to advance your career with the profession, such as management positions, supervisor roles, or opportunities in Laboratory Informatics. Advancing to higher-level positions often comes with increased salary potential. Lastly, build professional relationships with others in the medical laboratory profession by joining professional organizations or attending industry events. This allows you to stay connected with potential job opportunities and gain insights regarding career advancement.

ScoreMedical Technologist LeadUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $68,094

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.6

Growth Rate 16%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 12.04%

Black or African American 10.12%

Hispanic or Latino 17.39%

Unknown 5.13%

White 54.52%

Gender

female 66.81%

male 33.19%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.3

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a medical technologist lead

Explore medical technologist lead education requirements

Most common medical technologist lead degrees

Bachelor's

52.8 %

Associate

20.9 %

Certificate

7.7 %

Start to develop specific medical technologist lead skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	21.64%
Clinical Laboratory	9.38%
Proficiency Testing	5.85%
Hematology	5.30%
Test Results	4.39%

Complete relevant medical technologist lead training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical technologist leads learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical technologist lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical technologist lead resumes.

Research medical technologist lead duties and responsibilities

Manage stat and routine testing, ensuring sample integrity and interpretation data; notify physician of critical results.
Manage and facilitate manuscript preparation of oncology clinical trials results arising from currently market and pipeline drugs.
Accomplish patient assessment, vital sign and cardiac monitoring, phlebotomy, post-surgical evaluation, ventilator maintenance and physical therapy.
Evaluate and analyze patient samples in areas of clinical chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, immunology and toxicology.

Get medical technologist lead experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a medical technologist lead. The most common roles before becoming a medical technologist lead include medical technologist, medical laboratory technician team lead and medical assistant.

Prepare your medical technologist lead resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical technologist lead resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical technologist lead resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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