The Job of Laboratory technician

A In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1 What do lab technicians do?

2 What are the qualities you have to have to become a lab technician?

3 What makes this job difficult/ easy to do?

4 Is precision important? In what way?

5 Are communication skills important? Why?


B Listening

B1 Match-up

1 examine/analyse                        a information

2 use                                                    b a disease

3 look for                                           c abnormal cells

4 cross-match                                   d body fluids

5 perform                                          e a life

6 provide                                           f a test

7 save                                                  g blood samples

8 cure                                                  h a microscope


B2 According to the video,

1 The job of the lab technologist is to…

2 Lab technologists use a microscope to…

3 What do they do with blood?

4 Lab technicians can specialise in…

5 Is supervising part of the job?

6 Is a bachelor’s degree enough for this job?

7 Why is the job stressful?

8 In what way is it satisfying?


B3 Now, in pairs, discuss these questions:

1 Why did you choose to become a lab technician?

2 Do you think this job will make you happy? Why?

3 How much does it take to become a lab technician? Do you find your studies difficult?

4 What do you think you will like most in your job?




C Medical Laboratory Technician. Complete each gap with one word from the box. Some expressions are
extra and you will not need them:

transfusion        detect           hands           medical          diagnosis
equipment          cellular           analysis

stress        contact            pressure        time                   nurses
microscope             health              precision


The medical profession depends very much on people who work behind the scenes. Medical laboratory
technicians are not as prominent to the public as ______ (1) or doctors, but they are an integral
part of the ______ (2) and science community. They prepare and perform tests to _____ (3), diagnose
and treat diseases. This is a highly technical field that often requires the use of complex ______
(4). So if you are interested in being a lab technician, you should be able to use a computer and
have the ability to work well with your ______ (5). You should also be able to stand for hours at a
time, work under ______ (6), and pay close attention to detail. Accuracy in this work is vital to
the correct __________ (7) and treatment of patients, since analyses can be used to determine a
match for a blood __________ (8) or to locate an abnormal cell in an otherwise healthy tissue
sample. Medical lab technicians usually work under the supervision of medical technologists and
have _______ (9) with colleagues in the health professions. So good communication skills are a
must. Whether working in a variety of areas within a clinical laboratory or specializing in one
particular area every day, these professionals help to improve the ___________(10) and lives of
their patients.


Grammar – Present tenses contrast