# Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians

> Perform routine medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. May work under the supervision of a medical technologist.

- **SOC code:** 29-2012.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2012-00
- **Also known as:** Laboratory Assistant (Lab Assistant), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Medical Laboratory Technicians (Medical Lab Technician), Certified Clinical Laboratory Technician, Clinical Laboratory Technician (Clinical Lab Technician), Medical Technician, Biotechnician
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Conduct blood tests for transfusion purposes and perform blood counts.
- Conduct chemical analyses of body fluids, such as blood or urine, using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases and enter findings into computer.
- Analyze the results of tests or experiments to ensure conformity to specifications, using special mechanical or electrical devices.
- Set up, maintain, calibrate, clean, and test sterility of medical laboratory equipment.
- Obtain specimens, cultivating, isolating, and identifying microorganisms for analysis.
- Prepare standard volumetric solutions or reagents to be combined with samples, following standardized formulas or experimental procedures.
- Examine cells stained with dye to locate abnormalities.
- Consult with a pathologist to determine a final diagnosis when abnormal cells are found.
- Perform medical research to further control or cure disease.
- Test raw materials, processes, or finished products to determine quality or quantity of materials or characteristics of a substance.
- Collect blood or tissue samples from patients, observing principles of asepsis to obtain blood sample.
- Analyze and record test data to issue reports that use charts, graphs, or narratives.

**Emerging tasks** (O*NET):
- Perform quality control analyses to ensure accuracy of test results.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Information Ordering _(ability)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Chemistry _(knowledge)_
- Biology _(knowledge)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Finger Dexterity _(ability)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Chemistry _(Specialized Skill)_
- Biology _(Specialized Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Google Docs _(hot technology)_
- MEDITECH software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- SAP software _(hot technology)_
- Billing software
- Commercial plate reader software
- Data entry software
- Database software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 40th percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 45th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 39th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 46th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 49% automation, 38% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 3.3 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** directive.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Analyze and record test data to issue reports that use charts, graphs, or narratives. _(1.8% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Prepare standard volumetric solutions or reagents to be combined with samples, following standardized formulas or experimental procedures. _(0.9% of measured AI use; directive)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me analyze and record test data to issue reports that use charts, graphs, or narratives.
- Help me prepare standard volumetric solutions or reagents to be combined with samples, following standardized formulas or experimental procedures.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2012-00_