Allied Health World Home |  Medical Technician |  Medical Technician in Maryland

| | More

How to Become a Medical Technician in Maryland

By allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 9 2010

Steps to Become a Medical Laboratory Technician in Maryland

The state of Maryland does not require that individuals be licensed, but does require that labs be licensed according to standards set in COMAR 10.10.03. To ensure excellence, medical laboratory technicians should be certified by either the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP), the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), or the American Medical Technologists (AMT). They may be certified with more than one organization and in areas of specialty.

http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/ohcq/regulated_programs/labs_regulations.htm?id=3

Maryland Medical technician schools are accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). A searchable database of accredited programs can be accessed at http://www.naacls.org/.

Steps to Certification

1. Complete an associate's degree or the equivalent in a relevant discipline that includes science and laboratory classes.
   • AMT certification will accept either 60 hours of coursework with at least 25 semester hours in relevant science and laboratory experience from a regionally accredited college OR an associate degree from either online or campus based Maryland medical technician schools accredited by NAACLS.
   • ASCP certification can be achieved through four different paths, but all require either an associate degree or 60 semester hours of academic credit from a regionally accredited college.
1. The first path requires completion of an NAACLS accredited program within the previous 5 years, in addition to the education requirement.
2. The second requires 6 semester hours each of chemistry and biology as part of the education program and CLA certification. This certification was discontinued in 1982, so this path is limited to individuals certified before that date.
3. The third path requires 6 semester hours each of chemistry and biology as part of the education program and successful completion of yearlong U.S. military medical laboratory training course.
4. The fourth path requires 6 semester hours each of chemistry and biology in the education program and three years of full time experience with at least 2 of those years under a board certified supervisor. The experience has to be within the past 10 years.
2. Apply for and successfully complete the national certification exam offered by ASCP or AMT.
   • The AMT certification process requires that you be a member of AMT. Your certification is valid for three years and must be renewed every three years through continuing professional development that meets the criteria of the Certification Continuation Program (CCP). The initial application for certification has a fee of $130.
   • You must be a member of ASCP, which costs $89 per year, but you must first pass the certification exam to become a member. The initial exam is $185. The initial certification is valid for three years and must be renewed every three years after that through the Certification Maintenance Program (CMP).

Through campus based and online programs, aspiring Medical Technicians in Baltimore, Columbia, Silver Spring and Ellicot City, Maryland may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the Franklin Square Hospital Center, Holy Cross Hospital, John Hopkins Medicine and Prince George’s Hospital Center.

http://www.amt1.com/
http://www.ascp.org/
http://www.ascls.org/