Dear Joyce: I intend to go back to college (I quit after one year) next fall. My wife says I may as well pick a profession that won't go underwater with the next recession. Would medical technology fit that description? -- R.A.V.

Dear R.A.V.: Medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians play lead roles in a good career field, especially if you're trying to dodge economic curve balls. People fall sick and doctors can't do without these specialists to detect diseases and uncover their causes no matter how rosy or gray the economy.

Dramatic Service
Is medical technology socially valuable work? Absolutely. The recent anthrax bioterrorism is a timely example of why these professionals are essential to health care. They're the behind-the-scenes people who determine what's going on -- is it or isn't it anthrax? Demand for their abilities may escalate: High-level scientists predict the worst of bioterrorism has yet to strike.

Your Well-being
But you may be wondering about your own safety handling dangerous specimens. Medical laboratory personnel are trained to tame trouble. With proper methods of infection control and sterilization, few hazards exist for them personally.

Personnel Shortages
Demand for medical laboratory professionals is red hot. Fewer than half of an officially estimated 9,300 new professionals the nation needs yearly is entering the pipeline.

The field is cyclical, meaning demand goes up and down in waves, but the medical technology waves keep rising as the baby boomers need more medical tests and many current professionals retire after 30 or 40 years.

"Already there's a 12-year high-water mark in personnel shortages across the nation, but a shortage didn't exist when I graduated in 1994," says career-satisfied medical technologist Lee LaMonica of Quest Diagnostics' Nichols Institute in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. His road to licensure by the state of California took four years of college plus a year's internship, but the internship is fitted into four years of study in most MT programs.

Medical Technologists
These professionals work in all areas of the medical laboratory, including blood banking, chemistry, hematology, immunology and microbiology.

Another California medical technologist, Jody Smiley of Duarte, says she made a good pick in her career because it brings her a daily dose of trust in her abilities:

"We're the ones who make sure the blood you get won't kill you. We're the ones who monitor the effectiveness of chemotherapy on a leukemia patient. We're the ones who identify the bacteria that is making you sick," she says.

Medical Laboratory Technicians
Barbara Bianco of Lindenhurst, N.Y., was a young mom who returned to school when her youngest son started school. She likes her decision:

"It was the hardest thing that I have ever done but I loved biology and the sciences, so going to school was a wonderful experience for me. Training in the different lab departments led me to realize that microbiology sparked my interest the most," Bianco says.

Booklet Offer
If you like solving problems and science and are a meticulous worker, a free 16-page booklet by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists can help you investigate your options.

The booklet describes five medical lab careers, including career paths, work environments and available certifications.

Of the five occupations, two -- medical technologist and cytologist -- require a four-year bachelor's degree. One --medical laboratory technician -- requires a two-year associate degree. Two -- phlebotomist and histologic technician -- need a high school diploma.

Obtain a free copy of the careers booklet from the ASCP Board of Registry, Box 12277, Chicago, IL 60612 or download a copy at the organization's Web site (ascp.org/bor/medlab; click on Careers in Medical Laboratory Technology).

From the same page on the ASCP site, you can click on the 2000 Wage and Vacancy Survey of Medical Laboratories, an in-depth report. You'll note that pay is rising -- $30,000 to $60,000 is typical, with the highest compensation in cities where living costs are highest.

Other Leads
For additional medical laboratory professional organizations and workplace information, read an occupational brief within the government's "Occupational Outlook Handbook" (www.bls.gov/oco, choose the "A-Z Index," click on the letter "C," then click on Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians).

When you're focused on job security and fit the profile of a competent lab worker, the timing is right to find your way in medical technology.

Send career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007, or e-mail her at jlk@sunfeatures.com. Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.

©2001 Tribune Media Services, Inc.