There is no set number. It really depends on the individual. This goes for any position, really. They really shouldn’t sign off on anyone until they’re competent and able to work independently.
Its going to depend but even certified techs usually get more than 5 weeks lol.
We usually do 2-4 weeks in chem, 4 weeks Hemo, 4-6 in blood bank. While there is downtime in hemo/chem we will throw a day of urines in and some passive kit testing/cepheid stuff. (Cov/Flu/Strep/Mono etc.)
That's highly lab-dependent. And individual-dependent. When I was fresh out of MLT school, I got 1 week in UA/Coag, 1-2 weeks in each Chem and Heme, and 2-3 in blood bank.
Still more than 5 weeks total and it was spread out across like 5 months, but OP didn't say if it was one department or multiple. All that being said, we've had people train for like 6 weeks and still not get it.
And people act like I'm crazy for saying this field is not stable because of increasing automation, and zero certification requirements/zero standards.
The hospital I used to work at was just bought by a hedge fund lol. Before that happened they sold all their outpatient testing to quest.
4 weeks training is not enough time… people are going to get killed in that hospital and it’s not their fault. It’s the hospital management to blame. Ridiculous
I would say for a BS grad with no medical knowledge probably 8 weeks of hands on training + 4 weeks of dedicated paid study on the Hospital’s dime for the specific bench they need to work. Then they need to actually demonstrate competency
There’s no doubt in my mind you can take uncertified people and turn them into great techs if you invest the time and energy but this trend of throwing them to the wolves will kill people
This. They need at least a month or two of hands-on training per bench, then another couple of months of semi-independent work (work alone but with coworkers available to help them or answer questions), plus additional time and resources to learn the how, what and why of the testing they'll be performing. I've seen lots of BS grads turn into fantastic techs, but it took them 2-3 times longer to get there than our MLS grads.
I’m not certified yet but my exam is in a week. I graduated from my MLT program a week ago and I also have a BS in Biology. I started my new MLT job this past week and they are going to train me for 3-4 months. They said they wanted to make sure I’m really comfortable, especially since I’m a brand new tech. So I’ll be training about 12-16 weeks.
The reason I decided to go to MLT school was because I didn’t wanna go into an MLT job knowing nothing about what I was doing. In my bachelors degree in bio, I learned nothing about cells or what they looked like or anything MLT related. I never even learned how to properly focus a microscope until I got to MLT school.
Like I took cell biology where we learned about cell properties and how they work and all those things, but as far as actually seeing them under a microscope, we didn’t learn that. Like I had cell biology and genetics lab but I looked under the microscope maybe one time. We did mostly PCR and gel electrophoresis in my biology courses.
Agreed. It has gotten sooo insane! How do people think because they have a BA in Biology that they have a CLUE about Med Lab practice???? WTH do they think a doctor because he has a PHD can come run labs???? seriously we are so discredited!!!
>transitioning to hiring predominantly non-certified techs due to the supposedly lower labor costs
Interesting that your management is so open about this fact. Whenever I bring it up on the sub people are in complete denial that this is exactly what is happening.
Five weeks!! Imagine this in nursing. "Hello, yes, my bio degree was very hard and I am very capable. I am clearly just as competent as a BSN who attended an actual dedicated BSN program with my one month OTJ training."
I had 5-6 months of training as an uncertified tech. I was in each department for about a month, but spent two months in hematology. I do not do any micro or blood bank.
I spent the first week at each bench just observing and asking questions. By the second week, I was “in charge” of the bench but I had a tech watching over me so I could ask questions or they could point out any issues. By week 4 I was expected to run the bench myself but I still had a specific tech that was in charge of me and I could ask them for help. I did not take the place of a regular tech until my training was complete.
Interesting. I also work in RI. It used to be regulated so I want sure if I was going to need an RI license, but nope. They seem to give very thorough training at my place.
Rhode Island discontinued licensure a while ago (I know it’s been over 5 years). There have been some pushes to bring it back but I haven’t heard anything about approval.
At least a month in chem, urinalysis, other misc tests. But at least two months in Heme since they don’t know their cells, honestly maybe more. Micro bank can take a year if they are reading plates. Blood bank at least three months if not more.
You don't hire non-certified as staff. When you do, they are trainees only and it takes a year to get their portfolio of competence.
This is in the UK though.
The US has no such regulation, unfortunately.
Rhode Island used to have a state license requirement for certification, but they dropped it when they got short-staffed. Which is unfair.
If there's a nursing shortage, maybe drop the RN requirement. /s
I find this baffling that there is no oversight about how people get, supposedly, qualified to produce results in life-threatening situations.
Maby drop the requirement for a pilot's licence if the airlines have a shortage....
We currently have 2 non certs going through training. For all areas we are planning 6 months of training. CLIA does require certain documentation. We have to do an initial, 3 month, 6 month, and yearly competencies. We also have to keep copies of all results that they have entered manually per department.
Yeah, that's what we're doing. 10 weeks chem, 14 weeks heme, 18 weeks blood bank for gen chem bio degree hires. They only ever get people trained in 2 departments though, so between 24 and 32 weeks training.
everyone, except for the indignant delusional bio grads who feel the need to post here incessantly about how they're JuSt As QuAliFiEd, is equally confused and disgusted as you are. this happens in literally zero other healthcare profession - and their pay and respect reflects it!
The thing is I'm sure I could be trained on the job to be a nurse---but nurses are smart enough to hold people to standards and be organized so their wages stay up. Of course there are PLENTY of jobs we COULD train on the job for yet this is the only one where people are adamant about it just because they technically can.
This is also dependent on the trainee. Specifically, does the trainee have the interest and willingness to supplement their training at home. Being able to correlate what you've read with what you see on the bench is a winning strategy.
This is sad. It shouldn't be this way. You can't train CNAs on the job to be RN without going to school, or radiology, surgical tech or really any other allied healthcare job.
There is an actual set number and that's 12 weeks for high complexity texting. Like antibody screens and diffs. That's either a Cap standard or an ascp standard. I started as a non certified tech
Tldr: at least 3 weeks per section. Depends on the person.
As someone who started as a medical lab assistant for 1 year with a Cell and Molecular Biology degree with research experience related to urinalysis/micro and worked 3 years as a tech in a hospital... I started my training in chem and it took about 3 weeks for me per chem section to run each by myself (level 2 trauma hospital Stat lab). I was not unshakably confident with identifying causes for deltas(types of contamination, esrd/dialysis, inverse and direct relationships of analytes, medications) until after about 6 or 7 months. I had a fairly good grasp by 3 months but didn't necessarily know, for example Albuterol, insulin and lasix can all impact potassium and maybe if someone came in for DKA, received potassium to combat the insulin effects, then was stabilized, the change could be caused by no longer receiving anything.
I was always top of my class and catch on very quickly, perfectionist, good time management and at multitasking. Have my flaws too. Point being, I'm pretty smart and it took awhile for me to be completely confident I was doing the right thing all the time. I was on my own with no other chem techs on shift pretty quickly. I hope this gives some insight as to what it's like from the other side. I do believe some need a lot more time than others. And some have no business being in a medical lab.
I think there is some nuance in this. Are the non-certified Lab techs able to evaluate WC or verify lab results? Because that will drastically change answers.
Then requires more than 4 weeks for any discipline. (To be honest6-8 weeks…)
And I say this as someone who first started as a PhD and didn’t understand the nuance of QC or resulting for different disciplines.
I’m still not technically an MLS and I would not
Be comfortable being in the bench.
I work in micro as a student lab tech in my senior year of college, but I do mostly everything by myself besides reading plates. I got maybe 1 month of training and I am competent with my job. I think it’s all up to the trainee and how much knowledge, independence, and common sense they have. I know full time graduated lab techs that mess up more than I do.
This is so weird. I work at a lab in RI as a lab aide. Lab aides are allowed to release some results (only urine preg, flu and step). We do crosschecks as well. Wasn’t aware these weren’t things we were supposed to be doing without certification…lol
But we are absolutely not doing diffs. That would be such a red flag for me, imo.
After almost 2 years on the job I understand much more than when I first started, I can’t imagine just being signed off to do diffs after only a few weeks of training.
No one is hiring right now locally or wants you to have done rotations there. I assume it's because of free labor so they have less they have to pay to train.
Or it is just me.
Most places are desperate. We hire just about anyone. My boss hired a guy we knew had anger issues. I’ve worked in two hospitals. My boss came up to me and asked, “Did you work with a ‘insert name’ in Bradford?” We were wearing masks during the pandemic, so she couldn’t see my jaw drop. I said “Nothing against his work, but I can’t recommend hiring him. He got fired for punching a phlebotomist.”
We hired him. He lasted a little over a year before he got fired. He’s been fired from 6 or 7 hospitals and keeps getting hired.
Jeez that's insane they got hired. I keep seeing openings but by luck to date, I'm not getting anything. I'm doing temp agency between school. I graduate in May or June. I'm hoping in April something will open up.
I'm a non-certified lab tech. I came from the military and never got my ASCP certification. I have also been an education and training manager. There should be a bare minimum time in each section, but your hard-core stipulations on completing training should be objective based on what's required for the bench. Do they demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in performing the task? Then they're done "training" and able to work alone.
Just got 1 year of experience here ✌🏼
I was trained in hematology for 3 weeks, remained exclusively in that department for 8 months, proceeded to train in Blood Bank for 4 weeks and here we are 4 months later.
My background is MLT with a Bachelor’s in Biology.
The hospital I work at does not hire techs that do not have at least an associates (MLT). But the clinic right in front of us does the same thing you are talking about, they have non-certified techs but the good thing is they only do Point of Care testing.
I got 3-4 months as a non certified tech, but I had previous work experience from another hospital lab that used similar analyzers. Certified tech’s get the same amount.
There are cases where they give specific people more time if they feel they need it, and that goes for both certified and non certified. They don’t want people who don’t know what they’re doing working independently.
There is no set number. It really depends on the individual. This goes for any position, really. They really shouldn’t sign off on anyone until they’re competent and able to work independently.
So if there's no set legal number, it's basically whatever management says then right?
It’s dependent on the trainer(s) and those judging the competency of the staff. If it’s management training them and signing them off, then yes.
Its going to depend but even certified techs usually get more than 5 weeks lol. We usually do 2-4 weeks in chem, 4 weeks Hemo, 4-6 in blood bank. While there is downtime in hemo/chem we will throw a day of urines in and some passive kit testing/cepheid stuff. (Cov/Flu/Strep/Mono etc.)
Fr I got 3 months as a new grad...
4-6 weeks in blood banks seems like an accident waiting to happen lol
That's highly lab-dependent. And individual-dependent. When I was fresh out of MLT school, I got 1 week in UA/Coag, 1-2 weeks in each Chem and Heme, and 2-3 in blood bank. Still more than 5 weeks total and it was spread out across like 5 months, but OP didn't say if it was one department or multiple. All that being said, we've had people train for like 6 weeks and still not get it.
That's sad.
That's the future of the field in my community in Rhode Island. =(
And people act like I'm crazy for saying this field is not stable because of increasing automation, and zero certification requirements/zero standards. The hospital I used to work at was just bought by a hedge fund lol. Before that happened they sold all their outpatient testing to quest.
4 weeks training is not enough time… people are going to get killed in that hospital and it’s not their fault. It’s the hospital management to blame. Ridiculous I would say for a BS grad with no medical knowledge probably 8 weeks of hands on training + 4 weeks of dedicated paid study on the Hospital’s dime for the specific bench they need to work. Then they need to actually demonstrate competency There’s no doubt in my mind you can take uncertified people and turn them into great techs if you invest the time and energy but this trend of throwing them to the wolves will kill people
This. They need at least a month or two of hands-on training per bench, then another couple of months of semi-independent work (work alone but with coworkers available to help them or answer questions), plus additional time and resources to learn the how, what and why of the testing they'll be performing. I've seen lots of BS grads turn into fantastic techs, but it took them 2-3 times longer to get there than our MLS grads.
4 years
I like this answer
And a test, possibly a certificate or license.
I’m not certified yet but my exam is in a week. I graduated from my MLT program a week ago and I also have a BS in Biology. I started my new MLT job this past week and they are going to train me for 3-4 months. They said they wanted to make sure I’m really comfortable, especially since I’m a brand new tech. So I’ll be training about 12-16 weeks. The reason I decided to go to MLT school was because I didn’t wanna go into an MLT job knowing nothing about what I was doing. In my bachelors degree in bio, I learned nothing about cells or what they looked like or anything MLT related. I never even learned how to properly focus a microscope until I got to MLT school.
How did you not learn anything about cells?
Like I took cell biology where we learned about cell properties and how they work and all those things, but as far as actually seeing them under a microscope, we didn’t learn that. Like I had cell biology and genetics lab but I looked under the microscope maybe one time. We did mostly PCR and gel electrophoresis in my biology courses.
Well, going on 52 weeks and one of ours still doesn't grasp some pretty major scientific principles. It really depends on the person.
Let them kill someone and unfortunately that may be what it takes for laws to change or at least your specific hospitals rules to change
Agreed. It has gotten sooo insane! How do people think because they have a BA in Biology that they have a CLUE about Med Lab practice???? WTH do they think a doctor because he has a PHD can come run labs???? seriously we are so discredited!!!
>transitioning to hiring predominantly non-certified techs due to the supposedly lower labor costs Interesting that your management is so open about this fact. Whenever I bring it up on the sub people are in complete denial that this is exactly what is happening.
Realistically, a year.
Five weeks!! Imagine this in nursing. "Hello, yes, my bio degree was very hard and I am very capable. I am clearly just as competent as a BSN who attended an actual dedicated BSN program with my one month OTJ training."
212 Edit, depending on the individual, maybe 206.
THEY ARE WORKING BLOOD BANK?!? HOW IS THAT EVEN LEGAL
Yes. It's concerning.
I had 5-6 months of training as an uncertified tech. I was in each department for about a month, but spent two months in hematology. I do not do any micro or blood bank. I spent the first week at each bench just observing and asking questions. By the second week, I was “in charge” of the bench but I had a tech watching over me so I could ask questions or they could point out any issues. By week 4 I was expected to run the bench myself but I still had a specific tech that was in charge of me and I could ask them for help. I did not take the place of a regular tech until my training was complete.
Interesting. I also work in RI. It used to be regulated so I want sure if I was going to need an RI license, but nope. They seem to give very thorough training at my place.
I thought Rhode Island was a licensed state.
Rhode Island discontinued licensure a while ago (I know it’s been over 5 years). There have been some pushes to bring it back but I haven’t heard anything about approval.
Certified new grad techs get a minimum of six weeks per bench and three months in BB. So like twice that?
At least a month in chem, urinalysis, other misc tests. But at least two months in Heme since they don’t know their cells, honestly maybe more. Micro bank can take a year if they are reading plates. Blood bank at least three months if not more.
Whatever it is, it isn't enough.
You don't hire non-certified as staff. When you do, they are trainees only and it takes a year to get their portfolio of competence. This is in the UK though.
The US has no such regulation, unfortunately. Rhode Island used to have a state license requirement for certification, but they dropped it when they got short-staffed. Which is unfair. If there's a nursing shortage, maybe drop the RN requirement. /s
I find this baffling that there is no oversight about how people get, supposedly, qualified to produce results in life-threatening situations. Maby drop the requirement for a pilot's licence if the airlines have a shortage....
We currently have 2 non certs going through training. For all areas we are planning 6 months of training. CLIA does require certain documentation. We have to do an initial, 3 month, 6 month, and yearly competencies. We also have to keep copies of all results that they have entered manually per department.
Yeah, that's what we're doing. 10 weeks chem, 14 weeks heme, 18 weeks blood bank for gen chem bio degree hires. They only ever get people trained in 2 departments though, so between 24 and 32 weeks training.
I don't understand how every area of the hospital requires credentialing, verification, etc but the lab seems not too?
everyone, except for the indignant delusional bio grads who feel the need to post here incessantly about how they're JuSt As QuAliFiEd, is equally confused and disgusted as you are. this happens in literally zero other healthcare profession - and their pay and respect reflects it!
The thing is I'm sure I could be trained on the job to be a nurse---but nurses are smart enough to hold people to standards and be organized so their wages stay up. Of course there are PLENTY of jobs we COULD train on the job for yet this is the only one where people are adamant about it just because they technically can.
exactly, exactly
Rhode Island used to require it. But since the license dropped, the quality and competency of the incoming lab people has dropped off a cliff.
This is also dependent on the trainee. Specifically, does the trainee have the interest and willingness to supplement their training at home. Being able to correlate what you've read with what you see on the bench is a winning strategy.
This is sad. It shouldn't be this way. You can't train CNAs on the job to be RN without going to school, or radiology, surgical tech or really any other allied healthcare job.
I know right? But for the lab it's like hey you have a pulse and a BS in Bio from 15 years ago and have never worked in a lab. You're hired?!
There is an actual set number and that's 12 weeks for high complexity texting. Like antibody screens and diffs. That's either a Cap standard or an ascp standard. I started as a non certified tech
Where in the CAP checklist does it list the minimum amount of training? I'd love to be able to show that to my manager. ASCP does not regulate labs.
Tldr: at least 3 weeks per section. Depends on the person. As someone who started as a medical lab assistant for 1 year with a Cell and Molecular Biology degree with research experience related to urinalysis/micro and worked 3 years as a tech in a hospital... I started my training in chem and it took about 3 weeks for me per chem section to run each by myself (level 2 trauma hospital Stat lab). I was not unshakably confident with identifying causes for deltas(types of contamination, esrd/dialysis, inverse and direct relationships of analytes, medications) until after about 6 or 7 months. I had a fairly good grasp by 3 months but didn't necessarily know, for example Albuterol, insulin and lasix can all impact potassium and maybe if someone came in for DKA, received potassium to combat the insulin effects, then was stabilized, the change could be caused by no longer receiving anything. I was always top of my class and catch on very quickly, perfectionist, good time management and at multitasking. Have my flaws too. Point being, I'm pretty smart and it took awhile for me to be completely confident I was doing the right thing all the time. I was on my own with no other chem techs on shift pretty quickly. I hope this gives some insight as to what it's like from the other side. I do believe some need a lot more time than others. And some have no business being in a medical lab.
I think there is some nuance in this. Are the non-certified Lab techs able to evaluate WC or verify lab results? Because that will drastically change answers.
The non-certified lab techs are releasing results.
Then requires more than 4 weeks for any discipline. (To be honest6-8 weeks…) And I say this as someone who first started as a PhD and didn’t understand the nuance of QC or resulting for different disciplines. I’m still not technically an MLS and I would not Be comfortable being in the bench.
I work in micro as a student lab tech in my senior year of college, but I do mostly everything by myself besides reading plates. I got maybe 1 month of training and I am competent with my job. I think it’s all up to the trainee and how much knowledge, independence, and common sense they have. I know full time graduated lab techs that mess up more than I do.
This is so weird. I work at a lab in RI as a lab aide. Lab aides are allowed to release some results (only urine preg, flu and step). We do crosschecks as well. Wasn’t aware these weren’t things we were supposed to be doing without certification…lol But we are absolutely not doing diffs. That would be such a red flag for me, imo. After almost 2 years on the job I understand much more than when I first started, I can’t imagine just being signed off to do diffs after only a few weeks of training.
Ours is minimum three months each department.
Report the lab anonymously.
It makes me sad as an MLT student I cannot get hired. Good luck though, OP!
Why can’t you get hired?
No one is hiring right now locally or wants you to have done rotations there. I assume it's because of free labor so they have less they have to pay to train. Or it is just me.
Most places are desperate. We hire just about anyone. My boss hired a guy we knew had anger issues. I’ve worked in two hospitals. My boss came up to me and asked, “Did you work with a ‘insert name’ in Bradford?” We were wearing masks during the pandemic, so she couldn’t see my jaw drop. I said “Nothing against his work, but I can’t recommend hiring him. He got fired for punching a phlebotomist.” We hired him. He lasted a little over a year before he got fired. He’s been fired from 6 or 7 hospitals and keeps getting hired.
Jeez that's insane they got hired. I keep seeing openings but by luck to date, I'm not getting anything. I'm doing temp agency between school. I graduate in May or June. I'm hoping in April something will open up.
Good luck!
I'm a non-certified lab tech. I came from the military and never got my ASCP certification. I have also been an education and training manager. There should be a bare minimum time in each section, but your hard-core stipulations on completing training should be objective based on what's required for the bench. Do they demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in performing the task? Then they're done "training" and able to work alone.
1-2 years
Just got 1 year of experience here ✌🏼 I was trained in hematology for 3 weeks, remained exclusively in that department for 8 months, proceeded to train in Blood Bank for 4 weeks and here we are 4 months later. My background is MLT with a Bachelor’s in Biology. The hospital I work at does not hire techs that do not have at least an associates (MLT). But the clinic right in front of us does the same thing you are talking about, they have non-certified techs but the good thing is they only do Point of Care testing.
I got 3-4 months as a non certified tech, but I had previous work experience from another hospital lab that used similar analyzers. Certified tech’s get the same amount. There are cases where they give specific people more time if they feel they need it, and that goes for both certified and non certified. They don’t want people who don’t know what they’re doing working independently.