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29-2011.00 · Learning planner

Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists: a task-based learning plan

Perform complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. May train or supervise staff.

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Understand the profile before choosing priorities

The table shows the ten highest importance ratings among 34 skills with usable ratings. Skills tied on importance can share a rank. Importance (1–5) and level (0–7) describe different dimensions. A level of 4 is not 4/7 of a course, and neither scale is your personal score. Source dates refer to the underlying rating, not the database release date.

SkillImportance / 5Level / 7Rating date
Science4.004.3808/2025 · Analyst
Critical Thinking4.004.0008/2025 · Analyst
Active Listening3.884.0008/2025 · Analyst
Reading Comprehension3.754.2508/2025 · Analyst
Quality Control Analysis3.753.8808/2025 · Analyst
Operations Monitoring3.623.8808/2025 · Analyst
Monitoring3.503.8808/2025 · Analyst
Active Learning3.383.6208/2025 · Analyst
Operation and Control3.383.3808/2025 · Analyst
Time Management3.383.3808/2025 · Analyst

Anchor the plan in an actual task

Choose one reported task you want to understand better. Then choose one to three skills and describe an appropriate learning activity, evidence you will review and a date. For practical work requiring authorization, choose relevant coursework, observation or supervised training.

Science

Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Conduct product tests to ensure safety standards are met

Level 6: Analyze aerodynamic systems to determine the practicality of a design

What observation or comparison would help you test an explanation, and what would remain uncertain?

Critical Thinking

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

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Evaluate customer complaints and determine appropriate responses

Level 2: Determine whether a subordinate has a good excuse for being late

What assumption could change your conclusion, and what evidence would you check first?

Active Listening

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.

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Answer inquiries regarding credit references

Level 2: Take a customer's order

What would you ask the other person to clarify, and how would you confirm you understood?

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Understand an email from management describing new personnel policies

Level 6: Read a scientific journal article describing surgical procedures

Which instruction, constraint or exception in a document would you need to explain accurately?

Quality Control Analysis

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Assess new parts for precision and accuracy to specifications

Level 2: Inspect a draft email for errors (e.g., grammar, punctuation)

What is being checked, what defines a defect, and what evidence would be retained?

Operations Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Monitor machine functions on an automated production line

Level 2: Monitor completion times while running a computer program

Which indicator would you observe, what is its expected range, and how would you record an exception?

Monitoring

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

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Monitor a meeting and revise the agenda to ensure important topics are discussed

Level 2: Proofread and correct a letter

What result or exception would you inspect during the task, and when would you revisit it?

Active Learning

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

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Determine the impact of new menu changes on a restaurant's purchasing requirements

Level 2: Think about the implications of a news article for job opportunities

What new information would change your approach, and how would you record the change?

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Adjust the speed of assembly line equipment based on the product being assembled

Level 2: Navigate the settings on an office printer to print on both sides of the paper

Which authorized training and documented operating limits would you need to understand first?

Time Management

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

Read the scale examples

These generic examples illustrate the level scale. They are not required activities for medical and clinical laboratory technologists.

Level 4: Allocate the time of subordinates to projects for the coming week

Level 2: Keep a monthly calendar of appointments

What needs to happen first, where is the deadline, and what would you do if time runs short?

Review the result

Your plan should explain why the selected skills matter for your chosen task, what you will do next and what evidence you will examine. Revisit the plan after that activity. Completing a worksheet or matching an occupation’s ratings does not establish professional competence.

Keep your worksheet

Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.

Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.