Medical Lab Technicians or Assistants take samples of patients’ tissues and bodily fluids and test them to help doctors detect and diagnose an illness.

Lab Technicians are responsible for performing routine blood and urine tests, and providing results to doctors. In addition, they may enter patient and test data into a computerized lab system. This requires a detailed understanding of biological and chemical sciences.

Workplace: Medical lab techs work in hospitals, private medical labs, pharmaceutical firms, and research institutes; a few may even work in police forensic labs. Because some labs operate 18 or even 24 hours a day, many technologists and technicians perform shift work, working evenings and weekends. Full-time medical lab techs work between 35 and 45 hours a week. Those just starting out usually work part-time, about 20 hours a week.

Useful high school subjects: English; Algebra & Geometry; Calculus; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Computers

Post-secondary education: Medical laboratory technologists require a bachelor of science (BSc) or a 2- or 3-year college program in medical laboratory technology. A period of supervised practical training and registration with a regulatory organization is also required in Ontario. You may also need to be certified by the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science to be a pathologist’s assistant.

Salary: Lab Techs are usually paid between $8 and $20 an hour. Full-time workers generally make about $35,000 and $40,000 a year, depending on work location and level of experience. A very trained and experienced technician can make up to $50,000 a year.