Medical Laboratory Technologist - Klara & Keyau

Medical Laboratory Technologist I

 

The job of a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) in Pathology is very varied because there are many disciplines under this umbrella, and each discipline is a specialization. As an MLT working in the Cytogenetics Laboratory, my work involves preparing different tissue sample types of our patients for chromosome analysis and ascertaining gene rearrangements. I have the chance to rotate among our different sub-sections to learn various techniques and perform different tasks. Duties in the Bone Marrow (BM) and the Pre-/Postnatal sub-sections include tissue culturing, cell harvesting, chromosome preparation and analysis. Duties in the Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) sub-section include wet bench processing of various specimens such as paraffin tissues, BM cell suspensions, pre- and postnatal samples for FISH, as well as enumeration analysis.

Regardless of which sub-section I am in, I am reminded of the need to be meticulous in my work and be able to think critically. This is to ensure the samples are processed in accordance with standard procedures so that should a problem arise, I will be able to resolve it without compromising the quality of the result. One really needs to have an eye for detail during analysis because the results provide the doctors with the diagnosis and prognosis of the patient, and so determine the best treatment option for him.