Medical Laboratory Technicians and Pathologists' Assistants

(NOC 3212)

in All Health

Medical laboratory technicians play an important supportive role in medical labs. They help medical laboratory technologists by doing routine medical laboratory tests and setting up, cleaning, and maintaining medical laboratory equipment. They work in medical laboratories in hospitals, clinics, research facilities, post-secondary educational institutions, and government research laboratories. Medical laboratory technologists who are also supervisors are included in this group. Pathologists' assistants help at autopsies and examinations of surgical specimens or perform autopsies under a pathologist's supervision. They usually work at hospitals and universities.

Job Outlook

Average

Read more

  • Estimate Moderate growth employment change, 2021-2023
  • Estimate 35 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate Low rate of unemployment in 2022

Compared to: All Health

  • Estimate 3550 employment change, 2021-2023
  • Estimate 6335 openings due to growth and retirements, 2021-2023
  • Estimate rate of unemployment not available for these occupation.

Hourly Pay

$21.00

Minimum

$23.50

Median

$34.34

Maximum

Annual Pay

$8,349

Minimum

$41,305

Median

$67,684

Maximum

Compared to: All Health

Hourly Pay

$16.70

Minimum

$26.60

Median

$43.30

Maximum

Annual Pay

$10,740

Minimum

$43,853

Median

$88,944

Maximum

About the job

Nature of work

Medical laboratory technicians play an important supportive role in medical labs. They help medical laboratory technologists by doing routine medical laboratory tests and setting up, cleaning, and maintaining medical laboratory equipment. They work in medical laboratories in hospitals, clinics, research facilities, post-secondary educational institutions, and government research laboratories. Medical laboratory technologists who are also supervisors are included in this group. Pathologists' assistants help at autopsies and examinations of surgical specimens or perform autopsies under a pathologist's supervision. They usually work at hospitals and universities.

Job duties

Medical laboratory technicians:

  • Collect blood, tissue, and other samples from patients.
  • Log patient samples and prepare them for testing.
  • Set up medical laboratory equipment.
  • Conduct routine laboratory tests and sample analyses.
  • Perform quality assurance of testing techniques.
  • Clean and maintain medical laboratory and medical laboratory equipment.

Pathologists' assistants:

  • Prepare for autopsies by locating patients' medical records and arranging for radiographic examinations.
  • Help with or perform autopsies and surgical specimen examinations under pathologists' supervision.
  • Dissect, examine, weigh, and photograph organs and specimens, collect tissue samples for chemical analysis and record findings.
  • Discard specimens according to established safety procedures.
  • Clean and maintain instruments, equipment, and supplies.
  • May prepare bodies for release to funeral homes following completion of autopsies.
  • May supervise and train junior resident pathologists and morgue attendants.

Sample job titles

  • biological technician - medical laboratory
  • blood bank technician
  • clinical laboratory technician
  • community health technician - medical laboratory
  • medical laboratory aide
  • medical laboratory helper
  • medical laboratory technician
  • morgue attendant supervisor
  • pathology assistant
  • phlebotomist

Skills

  • This work demands close attention to detail. You must have good manual dexterity and be comfortable working with instruments and technology. Good communication skills and the ability to cooperate with others are important. You should be responsible, dependable, and willing to keep pace with rapid developments in the field.

Job requirements

  • Medical laboratory technicians/assistants require completion of a college certificate program in medical laboratory science.
  • Certification by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science may be required for medical laboratory technicians/assistants.
  • Combined laboratory and X-ray technicians require completion of a combined laboratory X-ray technology program.
  • Pathologists' assistants require some post-secondary courses or a university degree in life sciences and specialized on-the-job training.

Other considerations

  • Hours of work may vary. Assistants may work full-time, part-time, or casual relief hours. Standard weekday hours are common, but evening and night shifts may be required. Assistants mainly work in laboratory environments where they may have to spend a lot of time standing and performing repetitive tasks. Safety measures must be followed to reduce the risk to infectious body fluids, dangerous chemicals, or hazardous radiation.

By the numbers

Quick look

720

employed in 2016

73.6%

employed full-time

1.4%

self employed

85.4%
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14.6%
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42.1

median age

Compared to: All Health

36,515

employed in 2016

75.7%

employed full-time

9.6%

self employed

83.6%
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16.4%
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43.5

median age

Where will I likely work?

57.3%

Halifax

$41,969 median annual income
14.7%

Cape Breton

$38,926 median annual income
11.2%

Annapolis Valley

$36,860 median annual income
11.2%

North Shore

$31,068 median annual income
5.6%

Southern

$46,458 median annual income

Compared to: All NS Occupations

47.0%

Halifax

15.6%

North Shore

12.9%

Annapolis Valley

12.7%

Cape Breton

11.8%

Southern

Top Industries of Employment

92.9%

Health care and social assistance

2.4%

Manufacturing

1.6%

Public administration

1.6%

Wholesale trade

1.6%

Educational services

What is the age of Employment?

26.0%

25-34

25.0%

45-54

20.0%

35-44

18.0%

55-64

8.0%

15-24

3.0%

65+

Compared to: All Health

24.0%

25-34

23.9%

45-54

21.9%

35-44

18.4%

55-64

7.7%

15-24

Top levels of education

54.2%

College Diploma

$45,082 median annual income
19.4%

Bachelor

$35,325 median annual income
13.2%

High school

$28,108 median annual income
6.3%

Trade Certification

$47,158 median annual income
4.9%

Diploma Below Bachelor

$39,737 median annual income

Compared to: All Health

38.4%

College Diploma

$40,033 median annual income
27.1%

Bachelor

$61,668 median annual income
8.7%

Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary, Optometry

$81,191 median annual income
6.8%

High school

$24,829 median annual income
5.1%

Master

$69,296 median annual income

Education & training

Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technologist

College or University Program

These programs prepare students to conduct and supervise complex medical tests, clinical trials, and research experiments, manage clinical laboratories, and consult with physicians and clinical researchers on diagnoses, disease causation and spread, and research outcomes. They include courses in the theory and practice of hematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology, immunology, immunohematology, physiological relationships to test results, laboratory procedures and quality assurance controls, test and research design and implementation, analytic techniques, laboratory management and personnel supervision, data development and reporting, medical informatics, and professional standards and regulations.

Institutions providing this program

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Nova Scotia Community College

Various, NS

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant

College or Trades Program

These programs prepare students, under the supervision of physicians or laboratory scientists or technologists, to perform testing procedures, phlebotomy, and other duties in support of laboratory teams. They include courses in clinical procedures, various laboratory tests, laboratory mathematics, computer technology, equipment operation and maintenance, sterilization and safety, communications skills, and interpersonal skills.

Institutions providing this program

CBBC Career College Inc. - Sydney Campus

Sydney, NS

CBBC Career College Inc. - Dartmouth Campus

Dartmouth, NS

Cytotechnology

College or Trades Program

These programs prepare students to work with pathologists to detect changes in body cells that may indicate, and permit diagnosis of, the early development of cancers and other diseases. They include courses in biochemistry, microbiology, applied mathematics, microscopy, slide preparation, identification of cellular structures and abnormalities, and laboratory procedures and safety.

Institutions providing this program

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Epidemiology

College or University Program

These programs focus on the scientific study of disease, disability, and trauma patterns within and across populations and the development of health management mechanisms to prevent and control disease outbreaks and injurious behaviours. They include courses in biostatistics, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, disease and injury determinants, genetic disease and disability factors, behavioural studies, health services research, environmental disease and injury factors, and population studies.

Institutions providing this program

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Pathology/Experimental Pathology

University Program

These programs focus on the scientific study of the expression, initiation, maintenance and progression of tissue injury and disease, including death, and the relationship of pathogenesis to fundamental molecular and cellular mechanisms. They include courses in immunology, microbiology, gene expression, inflammation, cell injury, apoptosis, immunopathology, molecular markers of disease and toxins, neoplasia, growth regulation, and organ- and system-specific investigations.

Institutions providing this program

Dalhousie University

Halifax, NS

Employment requirements & contacts

No regulating bodies were found under this occupation profile

Contacts

Canadian Blood Services
Halifax, NS
Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
Hamilton, ON
Health Care Human Resource Sector Council
Bedford, NS