Medical Technologist School in Tennessee

Candidates who have graduated from approved clinical laboratory training programs, in combination with higher education requirements, culminating in either an associate or baccalaureate degree must apply to the State of Tennessee’s Medical Laboratory Board through its Department of Public Health to obtain a license before they can practice as a medical laboratory technologist in Tennessee. Additionally, the Board licenses medical laboratory technologist training and education programs within the State of Tennessee.

In addition, individuals must achieve national certification, such as by the National Credentialing Agency (NCA) examination, the American Medical Technologists (AMT) examination or the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) examination. Students should be advised that graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree does not guarantee that a student will successfully pass a national board examination and are advised to study the requirements carefully in preparation for taking the certification examination. Applicants will be required to demonstrate understanding of the technical, procedural and problem-solving aspects of laboratory testing, including proper test selection, causes of discrepant test results, and recognize the need for additional testing. The examination will focus on areas such as the blood bank, in particular antibody screening and identification, cross matching, hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn; urinalysis and other body fluids; immunology, microbiology; and fungus, viruses, parasites.