Medical lab assistants play an essential role in the healthcare field. Medical lab assistants provide essential patient care, collaborate with other professionals and maintain high technical and professional standards in their departments.
If you’re an individual with an interest and curiosity in the human body, have great communication skills, enjoy working in a team environment, and are interested in working in a lab setting, starting a career as a medical lab assistant might be the right choice for you.
If you’re interested in learning more about the medical lab assistant job, keep reading!
A medical lab assistant (MLA) job requires a variety of daily duties and responsibilities to assist with the daily running of the lab section you’re assigned to. These duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the lab and organization you’re working for.
Here are some of the duties and responsibilities a medical lab assistant job requires:
A medical lab assistant is trained to collect, prepare, and analyze specimens from patients. MLA’s primary duty is to conduct blood tests and other screening performed by the workplace and to ensure the specimen from patients are sorted properly to avoid any mix-up and to ensure the accuracy of the results.
To work as a medical lab assistant, you will need to have a variety of essential skills to succeed in this field. Here are some of the most important skills you need as a medical lab assistant:
You will need these skills to effectively deliver and work on a medical lab assistant job.
Read More: Medical Lab Assistant Courses In Canada
Medical lab assistants have a wide variety of work environments they can choose from. Here are some of the places a medical lab assistant can work:
And many other places that all depends on what you prefer and where you want to work.
Medical lab assistants may also work in the science field to assist scientists and researchers in their lab tests and experiments.
To begin your career as a medical lab assistant you will need to at least acquire your high school diploma and a medical lab assistant diploma, or similar field diploma, from an accredited program. Candidates that acquire both high school and MLA diplomas have a higher chance of getting hired by a hiring manager. Most employers are looking for backgrounds of specific and similar experience, education, qualification, and training.
You may also want to get certified by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Assistants (CSMLS). To obtain this certification, you will first need to complete a medical lab assistant program and then you can qualify for the CSMLS. You will get your certification after successfully passing the exam. A certification recognizes your competence and proves that you can practice this profession under national standards.
Although certification is not required to work as a medical lab assistant, certified medical lab assistants may have a higher chance of getting hired.
If you think you’re the right fit for a medical lab assistant job, but are not sure where to find your dream job, you’re in the right place! Sign up with Caring Support today to start searching for the perfect job.
Read More: How Can You Get A Lab Assistant Certification?
If you want to immigrate to Canada and work as a medical lab assistant you will first need to meet the following general and specific requirements:
You will have to prove your language fluency, either English or French depending on the province you want to immigrate to. You can start by taking some language courses in your country to prepare yourself before immigrating to Canada.
Medical lab assistants are required to complete a college certificate program in medical laboratory science. As an immigrant, this is one of the most important requirements to get qualified as a medical lab assistant in Canada.
As a medical lab assistant immigrant, you must have a minimum of 1 year of experience in a relevant field.
Employers usually require you to be certified by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS).
A medical lab assistant is employed under many different job titles and positions, you will first need to do some research on the job positions and titles, and find out what goes with your field and what type of job you would like to work. Looking for job opportunities and researching the employers can help you know where and who you would want to work for when you arrive in Canada.
If you are not sure where to look for medical lab assistant jobs you might want to join the Caring Support platform which will assist you on your job hunt.
Read More: Should You Consider A Medical Lab Assistant Program?
Before entering any field, it is important to know what the salary expectations are. As a medical lab assistant, according to PayScale, the average yearly salary is $41,500, with an average pay of $21.60 per hour, taking your experience and the setting of your workplace into consideration. A medical lab assistant with experience can expect to get paid more than the average salary.
Read More: How Much Is A Lab Technician Assistant's Salary?
In closing, working in the healthcare field can be extremely rewarding, but is also very demanding. Caring Support is here to help you find the best healthcare job opportunities and potentially your dream job. If you’re a healthcare worker, don’t forget to sign up on the Caring Support Platform to get the latest job offers and be the first to apply for the jobs you desire!
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