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Experience Requirements Overview
- Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Education, Training and Experience
Required Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree
Related Work Experience: N.A.
On-Site or In-Plant Training: N.A.
On-the-Job Training: None or short demonstration
Detailed Work Activities
- Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.
- Test biological specimens to gather information about patient conditions.
- Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.
- Prepare biological specimens for laboratory analysis.
- Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
Work Values
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Working Conditions
Recognition
Relationships
Support
Independence
Tasks
- Examine cell samples to detect abnormalities in the color, shape, or size of cellular components and patterns.
- Document specimens by verifying patients' and specimens' information.
- Submit slides with abnormal cell structures to pathologists for further examination.
- Prepare and analyze samples, such as Papanicolaou (PAP) smear body fluids and fine needle aspirations (FNAs), to detect abnormal conditions.
- Examine specimens, using microscopes, to evaluate specimen quality.
- Maintain effective laboratory operations by adhering to standards of specimen collection, preparation, or laboratory safety.
- Provide patient clinical data or microscopic findings to assist pathologists in the preparation of pathology reports.
- Assist pathologists or other physicians to collect cell samples by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy or other method.
- Prepare cell samples by applying special staining techniques, such as chromosomal staining, to differentiate cells or cell components.
- Adjust, maintain, or repair laboratory equipment, such as microscopes.
- Assign tasks or coordinate task assignments to ensure adequate performance of laboratory activities.
- Attend continuing education programs that address laboratory issues.
- Examine specimens to detect abnormal hormone conditions.
Work Styles
Achievement/Effort
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Persistence
Initiative
Leadership
Cooperation
Concern for Others
Social Orientation
Self-Control
Stress Tolerance
Adaptability/Flexibility
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Independence
Innovation
Analytical Thinking
For more information on this career visit: https://explorehealthcareers.org/careers/technologists-and-technicians/cytotechnologist/
Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.