Medical Technician Schools in Central Texas
- Medical technicians, also called clinical laboratory technicians, work with clinical laboratory technologists in a variety of lab settings, performing medical tests, preparing specimens and operating testing equipment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Medical technicians receive specialized training at two-year colleges or technical schools that offer programs in the specialty; there are no schools that focus solely on medical technician training. Central Texas offers three options for students wishing to participate in a medical technician program.
- Austin Community College offers an associate degree program in medical technology, as well as certificate programs for medical technicians interested in specializing in molecular diagnostics or phlebotomy. The six-semester program is available only at the Riverside campus and combines a mixture of classroom-based learning with supervised clinical rotations and field experiences in healthcare laboratories within the Austin community.
Coursework each semester focuses almost entirely on the sciences such as microbiology, parasitology, hematology, or immunology, with one class each semester focused on the humanities or social sciences. Because Austin Community College's program receives accreditation from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national certification exam.
Austin Community College
Riverside Campus
1020 Grove Boulevard
Austin, TX 78741
512-223-5932
austincc.edu - Central Texas College's medical laboratory technician program takes the commonly-found six-semester lab tech curriculum and arranges it over five semesters. The intensive program offers students the same number of credit hours and the same types of classes and field experiences as other laboratory technician programs, but in less time. Students can expect to take five courses per semester, most of which focus on the sciences, with clinical rotations and hands-on, supervised experiences taking place during one summer semester. Courses like urinalysis, immunohematology, laboratory chemistry and mycology provide a foundation for the hands-on rotations all students will perform. Graduates of the CTC program receive an associate degree and are eligible to take the national certification examination.
Central Texas College
P.O. Box 1800
Killeen, TX 76540
254-526-1187
ctcd.edu - Students in the Waco area can attend McLennan Community College's two-year associate degree program in medical laboratory technology. The curriculum features ten classes that are general college requirements such as composition, computers or public speaking, followed by 19 courses that are specific to medical laboratory technician training, including hematology, medical microbiology, medical chemistry and parasitology. At least six of the medical laboratory technician classes are clinical rotations, providing students with a broad array of hands-on experiences in different lab settings. McLennan also offers students in the program an optional phlebotomy clinical for additional experience, or for those students who wish to take the phlebotomy exam in addition to the national certification exam for medical laboratory technicians.
McLennan Community College
1400 College Drive
Waco, TX 76708
254-299-8417
mclennan.edu