Treatments for disease prevention are carried out, as well as laboratory tests. You mainly work in medical practices, health authorities, in medical research, in blood donation services or in hospitals.

Which requirements play an important role for this job?

First of all, general performance, logical thinking, arithmetical thinking, an enormous memory capacity and constant attention play a major role. Likewise, dexterity, oral expression, spelling security and a high understanding of oral statements. In order to be admitted to the training, a doctor's certificate is required, as is an intermediate secondary school leaving certificate or educational qualification.

Important information on the training content and everyday life:

The training of the medical-technical laboratory assistant lasts three years. During this training, the trainee learns, among other things, how the blood is made. There are tests for parasites, bacteria, fungi or viruses. You learn how to recognize tissue changes. Building analyzers, building cells. The trainees are also taught how to disinfect and sterilize the work equipment. You learn healthcare, the legal basics, how to work around tables, graphs, and equations. Administrative tasks such as managing patient data also play a major role.

The following work steps are further training content:

• Measure general laboratory activities such as weighing powdered chemicals or liquids.
• The cleaning and sterilization of measuring vessels, vessels and instruments.
• The collection of patient samples such as urine, gastric juice, blood or secretions.
• Perform body fluid testing or electrophoresis.
• Determining blood groups, measuring blood sedimentation, counting white and red blood cells under the microscope.
• Carrying out administrative tasks, such as keeping records of preparations and patients, general correspondence with other doctors, clinics or research institutes.

The locations of this training occupation in detail

The location of use is mainly in hospitals or other health facilities. The practical part of this training takes place in examination or laboratory rooms. The theoretical part is completed in a vocational school. Furthermore, this training can be carried out in a doctor's office, in a health department or in a blood donation office.

Important information about remuneration and development opportunities

You do not receive any remuneration during the school education , but you receive a corresponding reimbursement, for example for the examination fees, admission fees or for the tuition money. Possible development opportunities can be the management of a laboratory, a small team or even a larger team. Likewise, the teacher at a school, the profession as a pharmaceutical representative or the Bachelor of Science.

(Image source: Federal Employment Agency)

• Krankheitsvorsorge
• Laboratoriumsassistent
• Medizinisch-technische Laboratoriumsassistent
• Pharmareferent