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Do you mean a clinical laboratory scientist/technologist?
YMMV, but where I live, that usually requires a B.S. degree. Technician? Two year degree. Most programs (not all programs) require some type of internship, around a year, of training. There are some programs out there that are pretty much laboratory-dedicated programs. Hospitals in my area will not hire anyone who doesn't have a B.S. though.
I'm hoping to get out of the field. No where to go and even with a million science credits, people think you're somehow an idiot that only uses machines.
Then again, are you talking about being the person who actually does the work in the lab or something like accessioning? Research labs also have research technician positions but those pay even less than clinical lab positions.
I am talking about strictly a tech position in a lab.
I found out even with getting a 2 year degree, you still need to take pre-requisites. It seems the pay is lower than nursing.
I would certainly imagine the pay is lower than nursing. In my area, hospitals don't even hire 2 year RNs anymore; you need a minimum of a BSN if you want to be a nurse in a hospital.
I am talking about strictly a tech position in a lab.
I found out even with getting a 2 year degree, you still need to take pre-requisites. It seems the pay is lower than nursing.
Just like nursing, there are pre-reqs. Why wouldn't there be? Like I said, I feel like most people think people in labs don't know anything and machines do everything. Half of hematology/urinalysis is manual and immunohematology is ALL manual at my place. Microbiology is VERY much manual work. Keeping on top of the machines requires a brain too. All of my pre-reqs were basically the same as being a pre-med and then you end up taking classes in clinical microbiology, clinical biochemistry, hematology, etc.
The pay is WAY lower than nursing. In my area, nurses can start out at about 20K+ more than lab technologists---and this is when you are comparing two people, both graduating with BS degrees, both taking required licensing exams. They won't hire lab technicians in my area at most hospitals, just like they won't hire ASN nurses at most hospitals here. (I know this varies from location-to-location though. I know some places like hiring MLTs > MTs because they can pay them less.)
Not a single lab tech I know encourages anyone to be a lab tech. When I was doing my internship they said, get out while you still can, you have a chance. I went off and did something else for awhile and now I'm doing lab tech work in the meanwhile. I wish I went to PA school before my classes were too old.
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