How to Obtain a Medical Lab Technician Certificate

Medical lab technicians perform a variety of duties to help diagnose disease in hospitals and doctors' offices. Job opportunities for medical lab technicians are expected to grow faster than the national average according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; up to 14 percent by the year 2016. Most employers require their technicians to be certified by the professional association, American Medical Technologists. To become certified, you must pass an exam proving your expertise in the field.

Things You'll Need

• Associate's degree in medical technology

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Instructions

• 1

  Download a certificate exam application and candidate handbook from website of the national certification agency, American Medical Technologists or AMT. The address is amt1.com.

• 2

  Select the link "certification" and choose "medical lab technician" followed by "apply for certification." Click the links to download the "candidate handbook" and the "application." Read the candidate handbook thoroughly before filling out the application.

• 3

  Fill out the application and provide all of the information requested to avoid a delay in the processing time. This will include copies of your school transcript and an application fee. The application/authorization to test fee is $130 as of August 2010. Mail the application to the address provided on the application. The AMT does not accept faxed or emailed applications.

• 4

  Schedule your certification test date as soon as you receive a written letter confirming your application approval. The letter is known as an "authorization to test" and will include instructions for scheduling the test at a center nearest to you.

• 5

  Study for the exam while waiting for your exam date. The AMT website has a list of reference materials to help you prepare. By selecting the link "prepare for the exam" under the "medical lab technician" section, you can download their list as well as a content outline of the exam that includes percentages of each subject tested. Concentrate on the subject with the highest percentage of questions.

• 6

  Take the exam. This may be a hand-written exam or computer-based, depending on the testing center you choose. Written test results are provide via mail only and computer test results are provided immediately.