An examination of the supply and demand for clinical laboratory professionals in the United States

Abstract

Medical technologists (MTs) and technicians fill key roles in blood centers and hospital transfusion services. There is a concern that the number of new technologists and technicians entering the field is insufficient to keep up with demand created by the retirement of current personnel and continuing technological innovation. The American Society for Clinical Pathology reported in March 2009 that laboratories across the United States were struggling to fill MT and medical laboratory technician (MLT) positions. A survey of "positions available" advertisements from several months of the ABC Newsletter revealed that 35% were for MTs compared with 22% for physicians and 43% for all other positions. While not a scientific study, on the surface, this would indicate that blood centers are not immune from the struggle to fill positions within their laboratories. This paper will examine current trends in the United States as it relates to staffing for these positions and conclude by proposing actions that blood centers can take to help ensure an adequate supply of qualified MTs and MLTs in the future.