A career as a medical laboratory assistant is varied, interesting and worthwhile. As with most medical careers, the trend is also up. Medical laboratory assistants work with doctors and scientists in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Good concentration and an interest in science is a must. But to succeed as a medical laboratory assistant you also need to work well with patients and as part of a team.

Working in pathology laboratories, on wards or in surgeries, medical laboratory assistants prepare chemical and biological solutions, sort, label and analyse tissue and fluid samples, separate blood serum and plasma, loading samples and operating machine and store and analyse data on computer. They may undertake administrative work. There is opportunity to specialize in areas such as biochemistry, immunology and cytology, which can increase your long-term salary and career prospects considerably.

Many medical laboratory assistants receive on the job training in all of the areas described. However, to improve long-term career and training prospects, you should complement this with a medical laboratory assistant diploma. From this solid base, you can move later onto specialist training in many areas. With the right background, you may even be able to move into a science degree at a later date.

You can have a secure career as a medical laboratory assistant. However experience and more training you can substantially increase your salary, either by specialising or furthering your science training.