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How exposed to AI is a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist?

Of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for medical and clinical laboratory technologists, 2 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 11 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Clinical ChemistClinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS)Clinical Laboratory TechnologistHistologist TechnologistLab Tech (Laboratory Technologist)Medical Lab Technologist (Medical Laboratory Technologist)Medical Technologist (MT)Microbiology Technologist (MT)MLS (Medical Laboratory Scientist)Technologist
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
16
tasks rated for this occupation
66%
hold a degree, from a survey of 27
67 of 89
least protected in healthcare practitioners

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

2
  • Establish or monitor quality assurance programs or activities to ensure the accuracy of laboratory results
  • Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments

Only with software built on top

3
  • Enter data from analysis of medical tests or clinical results into computer for storage
  • Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers
  • Conduct medical research under direction of microbiologist or biochemist

Cannot be sped up

11
  • Conduct chemical analysis of body fluids, including blood, urine, or spinal fluid, to determine presence of normal or abnormal components
  • Analyze laboratory findings to check the accuracy of the results
  • Operate, calibrate, or maintain equipment used in quantitative or qualitative analysis, such as spectrophotometers, calorimeters, flame photometers, or computer-controlled analyzers
  • Collect and study blood samples to determine the number of cells, their morphology, or their blood group, blood type, or compatibility for transfusion purposes, using microscopic techniques
  • Analyze samples of biological material for chemical content or reaction
  • Set up, clean, and maintain laboratory equipment
  • Cultivate, isolate, or assist in identifying microbial organisms or perform various tests on these microorganisms
  • Supervise, train, or direct lab assistants, medical and clinical laboratory technicians or technologists, or other medical laboratory workers engaged in laboratory testing
  • Harvest cell cultures at optimum time, based on knowledge of cell cycle differences and culture conditions
  • Select and prepare specimens and media for cell cultures, using aseptic technique and knowledge of medium components and cell requirements
  • Obtain, cut, stain, and mount biological material on slides for microscopic study and diagnosis, following standard laboratory procedures
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET 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. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.