Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants – NOC : 3212

Unit Group

3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants

Medical laboratory technicians conduct routine medical laboratory tests and set up, clean and maintain medical laboratory equipment. They are employed in medical laboratories in hospitals, clinics, research facilities, post-secondary educational institutions and government research laboratories. Pathologists’ assistants assist at autopsies and examinations of surgical specimens or perform autopsies under a pathologist’s supervision. They are usually employed in hospitals and universities.

Example Titles

medical laboratory assistant

medical laboratory technician

pathology assistant

phlebotomist

phlebotomy aide

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Main duties

Medical laboratory technicians perform some or all of the following duties:

Collect blood, tissue and other samples from patients
Log patient samples and prepare them for testing
Set up medical laboratory equipment
Conduct routine laboratory tests and sample analyses
Perform quality assurance of testing techniques
Clean and maintain medical laboratory and medical laboratory equipment.

Pathologists’ assistants perform some or all of the following duties:

Prepare for autopsies by obtaining patients’ medical records and arranging for radiographic examinations
Assist with or perform autopsies and surgical specimen examinations under pathologists’ supervision
Dissect, examine, weigh and photograph organs and specimens, collect tissue samples for chemical analysis and record findings
Discard specimens according to established safety procedures
Clean and maintain instruments, equipment and supplies
May prepare bodies for release to funeral homes following completion of autopsies
May supervise and train junior resident pathologists and morgue attendants.

Employment requirements

Medical laboratory technicians/assistants require completion of a college certificate program in medical laboratory science.
Certification by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science may be required for medical laboratory technicians/assistants.
Combined laboratory and X-ray technicians require completion of a combined laboratory X-ray technology program.
Pathologists’ assistants require some post-secondary courses or a university degree in life sciences
and
Specialized on-the-job training.

Classified elsewhere

Biological technicians in non-medical laboratories (in 2221 Biological technologists and technicians )
Chemical technicians in non-medical laboratories (in 2211 Chemical technologists and technicians )
Medical laboratory technologists (3211)