Medical Technologist or Clinical Laboratory Scientist or...?

What's in a Name?

Medical Technologists, or Med Techs, for short are called by a handful of other names including "Clinical Laboratory Scientists" and "Medical Laboratory Scientists".  In fact, Medical Technologist is an old term that doesn't really describe what we do.

Image curtesy of ponsulak @ freedigitalphotos.net

The field of medicine abounds with technology in every department and discipline, from x-ray machines to electroencephalographs to robotic surgery tools.  The name "Medical Technologist" implies we're specialists in medical technology in general.  Even though it's my current job title, I find the term misleading and outdated.

"Clinical Laboratory Scientists" is another common name that was in favor about a decade ago but you'll still commonly see job ads for clinical lab scientists.  This term is a little more descriptive.  At least you can figure out we work in a lab.

The current "PC" title for what we lab rats do is "Medical Laboratory Scientist".   The initials I get to put after my name are "MLS(ASCP)" which stands for "Medical Laboratory Scientist (American Society for Clinical Pathology).  This name is much more descriptive, although, people still don't quite understand what I do when I tell them I'm a Medical Lab Scientist.

I wish our profession had a one word title like nurses and doctors, or even a two-word title that was more descriptive, like "x-ray tech", but frankly, even if we did, most people still wouldn't have a clue what we do.  We Med Techs are the mole people buried in the little hole of a lab in the basement of your local hospital.  We produce an estimated 80% of medical chart data, but patients never see us and unless the lab results they've requested are delayed, most of our coworkers in the hospital don't know we exist either.

Has the evolution in our job title made one bit of difference to Med Techs?  While the current Politically Correct name might be more descriptive, I think not.  We're still invisible to the masses because we are often hidden away and because we don't perform hands-on patient care.

The truth is, Med Techs often bemoan how misunderstood and hidden our profession is, but I don't think most of them would want to be in the spotlight anyway.  We work in a lab for a reason.

Rather than mass recognition, I think most Med Techs would appreciate more respect from their coworkers in other healthcare disciplines.  I've heard many, many techs state that there's a lack of respect from nurses and doctors.  I think this lack of respect stems from not understanding what we do and why we do things the way we do.

If you've worked in a lab as a Med Tech, you've no doubt been screamed at by a doctor or nurse because they weren't happy with how fast they got their lab results or the answer you gave them.  Or they get cranky when you reject a bad specimen or refuse to run tests on a mislabeled tube.  What they don't seem to understand is that, like them, Med Techs' #1 concern is Best Possible Patient Care.

So, while professional organizations like ASCLS are trying to raise public awareness of our profession, I think they'd be best suited to aiming their campaigns at other healthcare workers.  A bit of respect goes a long way.

If you're a Med Tech and you want more respect, I suggest crawling out of the lab and getting onto the hospital floors.  Get to know your coworkers.  Many of us are introverts and it can be hard, but it's harder to scream at someone if you KNOW them as a person with a face rather than just a voice on the phone.

If you're work in healthcare outside the lab, take the time to stop by the lab or ask for a tour to learn more about what we do in our little corner of the medical world.

And if you're not involved in healthcare but you know a Med Tech, take the time to ask them about what they do.  Some of the stuff we do is really pretty fascinating and you might learn an interesting fact or two.

Penny