The term hospital technician is an umbrella term for several different and specific jobs within the healthcare setting. Generalized hospital technicians probably did exist years ago before so much technology was involved in healthcare. However, now technicians require special training to perform their jobs. The jobs are not interchangeable. In other words you can’t expect a laboratory technician to be able to do the job of a pharmacy technician if someone calls in sick one day. Technically, there are various healthcare careers that are considered to be within the range of a hospital technician, the most common dealing with pharmacy, laboratory, central services and information technology.
To give you more information, below is the breakdown of some of the career choices within the spectrum of hospital technician. You have several great educational options—for example, you can now enroll in an accredited online school and get all of the training you need to work as a hospital technician. You may also opt to go to a community college or university to receive your training.
- Laboratory Technician. The laboratory technician works under the supervision of a laboratory technologist. The technician does less complex testing than the technologist does. The laboratory technician usually operates automated equipment, prepares specimens, and enters data. If they are working in a large laboratory they may specialize in one area such as microbiology, or chemistry.
The typical entry level for this position is an associate’s degree in medical technology or any other related program. The program you take must be accredited and recognized by the National Accrediting Agency of Clinical Laboratory Sciences. In addition, upon completion of the program, you can also get professional certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology or other apt governing body. This can improve your credentials significantly but is not really a necessity to land a medical job in healthcare. The salary range for a laboratory technician is $23,000 to $53,000. The job outlook is good with a growth rate predicted at 15% in the next ten years. - Health Information Technician. This career is unlike the previous one mentioned since it will deal with a lot more medical training in technology. Normally, a health information technician monitors, tracks and manages all the records of the hospital from patient care and prescriptions to billing. This will involve handling computers and managing databases and software. This being said, the career is highly technical and will require a good grasp of information technology.
An associate’s degree is the most common education for an entry level health information technician (HIT). The program must be accredited by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Since this career will be dealing with confidential information, critical software and servers, most hospitals will only hire a health information technician that is credentialed by AHIMA. The certification can only be obtained by way of passing an exam. Registered health information technician (RHIT) is then conferred. The salary for a health information technician ranges from $21,000 to $51,000. This job is expected to increase by 15% in the next ten years. - Pharmacy Technician. The main responsibility is to assist the pharmacist in a variety of ways such as receiving written prescriptions from patients, electronic prescriptions from physicians’ offices, filling medication bottles to be checked by the pharmacist, monitoring inventory and labeling prescriptions. In smaller pharmacies they may also run the cash register and answer phones. Educational requirements include completing a pharmacy tech program accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. These programs are short ranging from 6 to 24 months depending on the school. Most states require registration. Certification is not mandatory but is available and does improve marketability. This job is expected to grow by around 20% in the next ten years. The average salary is $27,000 to $40,000.
- Central Services Technician. Decontaminating and sterilizing hospital equipment, packing trays with special equipment needed for procedures, cleaning and storing hospital equipment, and ordering supplies are just a few jobs that the central services technician completes. The annual salary range is $20,000 to $29,000. Licensure is not necessary. Certification is available. Job growth is predicted to be around 12% in the next ten years.
These are only four of the hospital technician jobs available in healthcare. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these careers are projected to grow anywhere from 15 to 30 percent within the next seven to eight years. All of these hospital technician jobs have the potential for advancement, especially if you are willing to receive more education. There is something for everyone in the hospital technician field.