Enter your location at the top of this page to find opportunities at health organizations near you. Being involved at any level will help you figure out if this area is something you're interested in!

Find a volunteer position in health and medicine.

Test your interest in medicine by learning about what keeps the human body running. Choose one of these topics from Khan Academy to learn more and watch videos about how the systems in your body work.

Learn about the major organ systems of the body.

Empathy is an integral part of our human nature. It is a skill ingrained in us, but it can also be learned and improved upon. Explore ways to develop your empathy and be more successful in life.

Watch a TED Talk about empathy.

Karyotypes are used to make chromosomes visible so that they can be examined. Watch a short video to learn how to read one.

Learn how to read a karyotype.

Choose a few of these stories about mystery medical cases and how they were solved. Does assessing symptoms and doing research to figure out diagnoses seem like something you'd like to do?

Explore hard-to-solve medical cases.

What do you wear in a lab? What kinds of accidents can happen there and how do you prevent them? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this lab safety article.

Learn the ins and outs of the laboratory.

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a common needle biopsy procedure. Watch a short video to learn more about FNA, including why it's useful and how it's performed.

Learn more about fine needle aspiration.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

Cytotechnologists

Stain, mount, and study cells to detect evidence of cancer, hormonal abnormalities, and other pathological conditions following established standards and practices.

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians

Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Health Technologists and Technicians

Examine cell samples to detect abnormalities in the color, shape, or size of cellular components and patterns.

Document specimens by verifying patients' and specimens' information.

Submit slides with abnormal cell structures to pathologists for further examination.

Prepare and analyze samples, such as Papanicolaou (PAP) smear body fluids and fine needle aspirations (FNAs), to detect abnormal conditions.

Examine specimens, using microscopes, to evaluate specimen quality.

Maintain effective laboratory operations by adhering to standards of specimen collection, preparation, or laboratory safety.

Provide patient clinical data or microscopic findings to assist pathologists in the preparation of pathology reports.

Assist pathologists or other physicians to collect cell samples by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy or other method.

Prepare cell samples by applying special staining techniques, such as chromosomal staining, to differentiate cells or cell components.

Adjust, maintain, or repair laboratory equipment, such as microscopes.

Aspyra CyberLAB

Fortius Lab Systems Clinical LIS

MEDITECH software

Prognosis Innovation Healthcare ChartAccess

Microsoft Excel

Ansible software

Microsoft Office software

Microsoft Word

Centrifuges

Cytocentrifuges

Conical flasks

Round bottom flasks

Autoclaves

Electronic sterilizers

Compound light microscopes

Laboratory binocular microscopes

Fine needles

Laboratory refrigerators

Flow cytometers

Paraffin dispensers

Distilled water units

Automatic coverslippers

Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

Every day

How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?

Once a week or more but not every day

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Extremely important

Very important

How much does this job require making repetitive motions?

Continually or almost continually

More than half the time

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?

How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

A lot of freedom

Some freedom

Limited freedom

How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls

How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets

Cytotechnologists

Overview

Career

What Cytotechnologists Do

Other Job Titles Cytotechnologists May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Cytotechnologists

Overview

Career

What Cytotechnologists Do

Other Job Titles Cytotechnologists May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Cytotechnologists

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders