I just discovered what California MLTs can do!!!

It’s my first time living and working in California.  I am so excited about all the national parks, but I must work too.  The first week ( I was surprised they gave me a whole week - but perhaps it was because in the interview they asked how much time my last contract gave me to train and I told them a week - It works for me!) I was trained in Blood Bank and didn’t notice any MLTs in the section.  Well whatever, it's the hospital's choice, or so I thought.  It wasn’t till my second week, in which I was being trained in chemistry, I was bombarded with MLTs.  I thought it was weird that Blood Bank had none and there were two in chemistry.  When asked they said they can’t do any tube testing.  They are only allowed to issue blood or work with instruments, so the hospital doesn't need a full time MLT in Blood Bank.

I couldn’t believe it.  Back in Florida MLT did everything MLS/CLS’s did.  They just needed a CLS in the lab/department.  And in Pennsylvania some of their staff were not even ASCP certified. I never realized that MLTs in California were so limited. I had to research this.  MLT (Medical Laboratory Technicians - weird an entire country calls them by one name, when I have four or five working titles) are not allowed to perform any high complexity testing under CLIA!  The specifics are in the picture from the California Department of Health Website below.

In a way it makes sense, but it got me thinking how limited MLTs are in California. Meaning their schooling is a lot different than the rest of the country.  If they are not taught tube testing or microscopic work in school or don't use it for a number or years, it would constrict them to only California jobs. But perhaps the system was designed that way to keep jobs in state.

It’s so interesting!!!