Transcript:
Hello, and welcome to the Edvotek Career Exploration Podcast. Today, we are exploring the career of a medical laboratory scientist, or MLS.
These scientists play a critical role in patient care and medical advancements in clinical and life sciences research, but I bet you’ve never heard of them!
When you go to the doctor, you usually interact with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers.
But behind the scenes, Medical Laboratory Scientists are playing a critical role in your care. They perform the laboratory tests that help doctors diagnose disease, choose treatments, and monitor a patient’s health.
In many ways, this career sits at the intersection of biology, chemistry, medicine, and technology. Medical Laboratory Scientists combine scientific expertise with cutting-edge tools to uncover what’s happening inside the human body.
Medical laboratories are specialized facilities where scientists analyze patient samples such as blood, urine, tissue, and other biological specimens. Depending on the lab, an MLS might perform blood chemistry tests, complete blood counts, microbiological cultures, molecular diagnostics, immunology assays, or toxicology screenings. This work requires training on advanced instruments and technology to produce accurate results.
As diagnostic technology continues to evolve, some tests are moving beyond the traditional central laboratory and closer to the patient. For example, point-of-care tests can provide results in a doctor’s office, clinic, emergency department, or even at home.
Many of these systems use microfluidics, a technology that controls tiny volumes of liquid through miniature channels. By working with very small samples and reagent volumes, microfluidic devices can help make certain diagnostic tests faster, cheaper, and more portable.
Medical Laboratory Scientists don’t work alone. Collaboration is a major part of the job. Clinical laboratory teams work closely with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare specialists to provide the data needed to guide patient care. These laboratory results help doctors make decisions that directly impact the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
So, how do you become a Medical Laboratory Scientist? You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science or a related field. Your training could include classes in clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, genetics, and molecular diagnostics. After graduation, additional hands-on training and board certification will ensure you have the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in this field.
Once you are working in a medical lab, accuracy is key. Medical Laboratory Scientists must follow standardized protocols to ensure accurate test results. After all, healthcare providers use the results to diagnose disease, monitor treatment effectiveness, track disease progression, and personalize patient care.
Safety is another priority in the medical laboratory. As a medical laboratory scientist, you will be exposed to major biohazards like pathogens present in patient samples. To protect yourself and your labmates, strict safety protocols guide the proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials, use of personal protective equipment, and maintenance of a clean and organized workspace.
Working as an MLS is more than just running tests in the laboratory. You’ll need a sharp eye for detail, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to stay focused under pressure as you analyze data, troubleshoot issues, and ensure the accuracy and quality of your findings.
Beyond routine clinical testing, medical laboratory scientists also contribute to research and innovation. They play a vital role in evaluating new medical tests, participating in clinical trials, improving diagnostic workflows, and developing emerging medical technologies.
Many of these new medical tests use microfluidic technologies to create faster, more portable ways to analyze biological samples. These technologies can support applications ranging from infectious disease testing to diagnosing heart attacks or identifying biomarkers associated with cancer. For a medical laboratory scientist, understanding how new microfluidic platforms work is an important part of working at the forefront of diagnostic testing.
The demand for skilled and dedicated Medical Laboratory Scientists continues across hospitals, clinics, reference laboratories, research institutions, and public health laboratories. The average salary for medical laboratory scientists is over sixty-one thousand dollars per year.
As diagnostic technologies continue to advance, clinical laboratories and the skilled scientists who run them will remain critical for disease detection, prevention, and management. Although patients may never meet the scientists performing their tests, the information generated in the lab influences diagnoses, treatments, and health outcomes.
So, if you have a passion for science, a keen eye for detail, and a desire to make a meaningful impact in healthcare, a career as a Medical Laboratory Scientist might just be for you.
Thank you for joining us on this journey into the world of Medical Laboratory Science. We hope this episode has you curious and ready to learn more! Stay tuned for future episodes where we explore more careers that use biotechnology.
This project was made possible by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), Grant Number 1R43GM161144-01, from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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