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Technicians are highly specialized workers who work with scientists, physicians, engineers, and other professionals, as well as with clients and customers. They assist professionals in many activities, and they frequently direct skilled workers. They work in factories, businesses, science labs, hospitals, law offices, clinics, shops, and private homes. Some work for themselves as consultants. They are found in all facets of the work world and make up one of the fastest growing career sectors. The health care industry employs many technicians. Modern medicine is increasingly dependent on sophisticated machinery to help make diagnoses, provide effective treatments, and keep the body functioning while patients are undergoing surgery. Many of these machines require the special skills of medical technicians to operate properly. The careers in this book represent a wide range of job opportunities found in the technical side of the health care field. Because of this variety, you will find that there are varying educational requirements, salaries, and advancement opportunities associated with these careers. An example of the evolving role of medical technology is in the area of heart disease. Physicians can now order a number of tests to detect heart disease more definitively and at a much earlier stage. These include tests that pick up heart sounds and murmurs (phono cardiology), tests that record the heart’s electrical activity (vector cardiography), stress tests, ultrasound tests (echocardiography), and procedures such as cardiac catheterization, in which a tube is inserted into a patient’s heart to detect blockages. Medical technicians assist physicians in some tests, such as the cardiac catheterization procedure, but most technicians conduct tests themselves and pass the results on to physicians for interpretation. Some technicians, such as dialysis technicians and respiratory therapy technicians, see patients all day every day, while others, such as medical and dental laboratory technicians, spend all their time in lab oratories and rarely see patients at all. Technician careers are appealing for a very practical reason: They are a fast track to a good job. For someone who is interested in medicine but who wants neither the educational commitment nor full responsibilities of being a doctor, a career as a medical technician may be a good option. Most technician positions require at least one year of postsecondary training, although a few demand even less. Dialysis technicians, for example, are usually trained on the job, and emergency medical technicians must complete a 110-hour course. At the other end of the spectrum is the job of medical technologist which requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. The minimum education requirement for the vast majority of technician positions is a one- to two-year certificate program or associate’s degree, but a bachelor’s degree generally gives job candidates an edge on the competition and guarantees a better salary and increased opportunity for advancement. According to U.S. government projections, the health care industry will create approximately 2.8 million new jobs by 2010. Employment in health care is projected to increase 25 percent during this period. Medical technicians will continue to be in high demand, especially since the emphasis on preventive care requires more physicals and more tests. Each article in this guide discusses a particular medical technician occupation in detail. All articles have been updated and revised since the last edition of this guide with the latest information from the U.S. Department of Labor and other sources. Throughout the guide you will also find informative sidebars, interviews with people working in the medical field, and illustrative photos of some of the careers. Next: Biomedical Equipment Technicians |
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