9 July 2006

Barbara Brown is a Clinical Laboratory Technologist at a small community hospital in rural Mississippi.  Here she tells ExploreHealthCareers all about her work -- and why she loves it.

Q: What is your current position?

A: I am a Medical Technologist at a small community hospital in rural Mississippi.

Q: How did you find this job?

A: The administration called me and asked if I was interested, and I was.

Q: How long have you been there?

A: I’ve worked here almost four years.

Q: How large is the clinic, and how many colleagues do you have?

A: The hospital has 17 acute care beds and 9 psych. beds (senior care).  There are 250 employees, including 120 with bedside nursing skills.

Q: Can you describe a typical workday?

A: My workday starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 2 in the morning.  When I arrive at the lab, I sterilize the counter tops and run controls. I collect 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. blood sugar measurements. I collect and process all lab work ordered from the floor and the Emergency Room until the next shift starts.

Q: What made you decide to become a Clinical Laboratory Technologist?

A: I was always interested in lab work and research.  This field offered what I wanted.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about your job?

A: First of all, I love my job and I enjoy what I do. It is so rewarding to know I am making a difference in so many people’s lives.  When I meet a patient for the first time and she tells me: “You made my day with your smile,” that’s reward enough for me.

Q: What do you find most challenging about your job?

A: My job is very challenging. The doctors depend on my expertise because I’m the one person who can give them information for treatment of their patients.  I have to be able to identify any abnormalities associated with that patient’s lab work (blood, urine, etc.).

Q: Is there room for advancement in this field?

A: Yes, you can advance to management (i.e., Research Coordinator) and you can specialize – for instance in the Bloodbank.

Q: What kind of education and licensing/credentialing are required in your field, and how long does it take?

A: There are different programs.  You can do three years of college plus a one-year med tech program; two years of college and a two-year program; or four years of college (for a BS degree). 

I earned my CLS BS, in case I wanted to do something else -- then I would have my degree to fall back on.  After you complete your education, you take the Clinical Lab Technologist national exam.  

Q: What experiences in your childhood helped you to get where you are today?

A: As a child, I was always the caregiver. My mother is a diabetic, and I was the one who would take her temperature and check her sugar levels.

Q: What kinds of obstacles have you encountered in pursuing your goals, and how did you overcome them?

A: In the beginning, I faced some racial tension, and at times I haven’t gotten the recognition that I thought I deserved.  But I was never bitter about it.  I just stayed focused and prayed about it, and it all worked out.

Q: What do you wish you had known in high school/college about pursuing this career?

A: I wish I had known how rewarding this career could be.

Q: What advice would you give someone who is thinking of becoming a Clinical Laboratory Technologist?

A: My advice would be to visit a lab, so you can see what we do.  This will help you decide if this is the kind of work you would be interested in.  I would tell them that this is the best career ever!  It’s rewarding, it’s challenging, the pay is good, and you get a chance to make a difference.