Medical Laboratory Technician Licensing: States, ASCP and CLIA

How to get a medical laboratory technician certification

1. 1

   Complete a NAACLS-accredited programme

   Enrol in an accredited medical laboratory technician associate degree covering haematology, chemistry, microbiology, immunohaematology and urinalysis, with a clinical practicum. Accreditation is what makes you eligible for certification by the standard route.

2. 2

   Sit the ASCP certification examination

   Take the computer-adaptive MLT examination at Pearson VUE, covering blood banking, urinalysis and body fluids, chemistry, haematology, immunology, microbiology and laboratory operations including quality control and instrumentation.

3. 3

   Check whether your state licenses laboratory personnel

   About a dozen states do, with New York and California the most demanding. In those states, national certification alone may not be enough and additional coursework or category-specific licensure can apply.

4. 4

   Apply for the state licence where required

   Submit your accredited education and certification to the state health department. Elsewhere there is no application to make, and your certification plus the laboratory's own compliance with federal personnel standards is what governs.

5. 5

   Maintain certification and consider advancing

   Keep the credential current through the ASCP credential maintenance programme, and consider a bridge to the medical laboratory scientist credential or a categorical certification in blood banking, microbiology, chemistry or molecular biology.

Medical Laboratory Technician certification requirements

What you need depends on your state, but the accredited programme and certification apply nationally in practice. You need:

How much a medical laboratory technician certification costs

Costs beyond the degree are modest and often employer-funded. Budget for:

The medical laboratory technician certification exam

The ASCP Board of Certification MLT examination is computer-adaptive and delivered at Pearson VUE, covering blood banking and immunohaematology, urinalysis and body fluids, chemistry, haematology, immunology, microbiology and laboratory operations including quality control, safety and instrumentation. It is scored pass or fail against a scaled standard rather than a percentage. Eligibility runs primarily through a NAACLS-accredited associate degree programme, though alternative routes combining education and laboratory experience exist. In the states that license laboratory personnel, the state credential is generally issued on the basis of accredited education and certification rather than through a separate state examination — New York and California being the most demanding on additional coursework.

How long it takes to get licensed

About two to three years from starting the accredited associate degree to holding certification and, where required, a state licence.

Medical Laboratory Technician certification types: the full ladder

The laboratory ladder runs from assistant through technician to technologist and specialist certifications.

ASCP certification vs State licence: medical laboratory technician certification

Medical Laboratory Technician certification reciprocity between states

ASCP certification is national and travels without any transfer process, which is what makes laboratory staff mobile. The complication arises only when moving into a licensing state, and particularly into New York or California, whose laboratory personnel requirements can exceed national certification and may call for additional coursework or category-specific licensure. Federal personnel standards apply to the laboratory everywhere and are the employer's responsibility rather than yours. Check the destination state health department's laboratory personnel rules before accepting a role there.

Medical Laboratory Techniciansalary & job outlook

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians earn a median of about $62,930 per year ($30.26/hour), with technologist-level roles and specialist certifications above the technician band. Employment is projected to grow 1.7%, with roughly 22,600 openings a year, and laboratory staffing shortages are a persistent feature of the field. See the full medical laboratory technician salary guide for pay by state, city and experience level.

Medical Laboratory Technician certification requirements by state

The question by state is whether clinical laboratory personnel are licensed at all — and in most states they are not.

Where no authority is named, that state does not license medical laboratory technicians, and ASCP certification plus the laboratory's own compliance with federal personnel standards is what governs. Where a state does license, requirements can exceed national certification, particularly in New York and California. Confirm with the state health department before relocating or accepting a role there.

Browse all state guides

Medical Laboratory Technician certification FAQs

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians) · ASCP Board of Certification · NAACLS, National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences · CMS, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). Requirements and fees are set per state and change, confirm with your state board before applying.

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