JOB Talk with a medical technologist
JOB Talk with a medical technologist
■ Name/age: Lynda Sommers, 47
■ Occupation: Medical technologist, laboratory supervisor
■ Employer: LabCorp, Burlington
■ Years in field: 22
■ Salary range: $43,490 annual mean salary for the Burlington metropolitan area, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
■ Education: • Associate degree in medical laboratory technology, Stark State College, North Canton, Ohio • Bachelor of Arts in management, Malone College, Canton, Ohio
• MBA in health care management, Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Medical technologist certification from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists
■ Goal of the job: Provide accurate medical testing to enable providers to make correct diagnosis and treatment plans
■ Tasks:
• Occasional phlebotomy (drawing of blood)
• Computer entry of testing orders and insurance information
• Processing and testing of specimens
• Communicating results to provider by fax, phone or computer TextEditor’s noe: Answers are submitted by e-mail and have been edited for space and clarity.How did you become involved in this line of work?
I enjoyed science in school. My mother was a nurse. I also was exposed to health care as a child because I had diabetes. I wanted a job in health care in order to help people, but didn’t want a lot of patient contact.What types of tests and analyses do you perform?
I run hematology, chemistry, coagulation and urinalysis tests. This includes testing for pregnancy, anemia, diabetes, Coumadin therapy, leukemia, etc.
How much of your work is done independently?
The majority of my work is done independently, but we are always working together to share the workload.
What advice do you have for people interested in this job?
To get at least a two-year degree and pass the American Society of Clinical Pathologists exam to become certified. This certification is recognized all over the U.S. There is a shortage of laboratory scientists, so this is a great field if you are interested in health care.
Lynda Sommers 092709
Lynda Sommers is a medical technologist with LabCorp in Burlington, where she conducts various tests and communicates results to health providers.
Contributed photo
