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The demand for laboratory professionals has never been higher. ¹û¶³´«Ã½s through ¹û¶³´«Ã½qualify you to work in the medical laboratory. Are you ready to make a move on the laboratory career path with a respected credential?

¹û¶³´«Ã½offers certification for these laboratory professions. Click the titles to see eligibility requirements.  

• Medical Laboratory Scientist MLS (AMT)
• Medical Laboratory Technician​ MLT(AMT)
• Molecular Diagnostics Technologist MDT(AMT)
• Certified Medical Laboratory Assistant​ CMLA(AMT)
• Registered Phlebotomy Technician RPT(AMT)
• Certified Laboratory Consultant​ CLC(AMT)

¹û¶³´«Ã½certification is practical and accessible

1. Not everyone takes the same path to certification. ¹û¶³´«Ã½certification is achievable through a combination of education, experience, and an exam. Some traditional; some non-traditional—but all are rigorous.
2. The exam is practical. The straight-forward questions focus on laboratory practices, with no purposely tricky questions—such as “all of the above” or “fill-in-the-blank” questions.
3. Comparing costs and benefits over time, ¹û¶³´«Ã½is the most cost-effective lab certification option to acquire and maintain.
4. When you apply for certification, you set up an ¹û¶³´«Ã½account that serves as a portal for all your ¹û¶³´«Ã½business, including your application, your membership status, publications, communities, etc. (Everything except scheduling the exam, which is necessarily independent and managed through Pearson VUE.)

Automatic membership has its advantages

When an individual achieves certification through AMT, they automatically become a member of both our national professional organization and their local state society. Founded by laboratory professionals more than 80 years ago, ¹û¶³´«Ã½flourishes while being led both by and for allied health professionals.

Membership benefits include online and in-person CE opportunities, leadership development and networking with colleagues both nationally and locally. Members also receive an award-winning quarterly professional publication, a monthly e-newsletter, and discounts on CE.

All of this is intentionally geared toward maintaining a sense of belonging, of professionalism, of keeping competencies up to date along with staying certified and employed in the laboratory. 

Stay certified the easy way

Once you pass the certification exam, you never have to take it again—as long you stay current with your maintenance requirements.

Three-year cycle with annual maintenance

¹û¶³´«Ã½ is simple to maintain. It's a three-year certification cycle with an annual maintenance fee, which is $110 for MLS or for MLT. These high-level certificants are required to document 45 points of continuing education or other professional activities for every three-year period.

¹û¶³´«Ã½ Continuation Program aka CCP

¹û¶³´«Ã½requirements for maintaining certification are flexible. There is no need to fulfill certain CE categories as long as the activities align with the competencies of the profession. A member can obtain CE from a variety of sources, whether it’s from their employer, from ¹û¶³´«Ã½or from elsewhere. You are also entitled to discounted CE from AMT. 

See details on what qualifies for ¹û¶³´«Ã½ Continuation Program.

Automated process

Everyone establishes an individual account to apply for certification. This same account is linked to all the ¹û¶³´«Ã½processes for staying certified, including AMTrax, which helps record and keep track of all of your continuing education. It also syncs with our to further aid in a seamless process to maintain your certification.

The final, and perhaps most important aspect of retaining certification is being an ethical professional and maintaining public trust—all certificants must abide by the ¹û¶³´«Ã½Standards of Practice to retain certification.

Which ¹û¶³´«Ã½lab certification is right for you?

Click on a profession profile below to learn about typical job duties, necessary education and training, and employment and salary information:

• Medical Laboratory Scientist
• Medical Laboratory Technician
• Phlebotomy Technician
• Medical Laboratory Assistant

¹û¶³´«Ã½is here for you

For applicants

If you seek certification for a good job in the clinical laboratory, ¹û¶³´«Ã½wants to help you. Check out the eligibility criteria for specific job certifications and see what you need to qualify.  

For student applicants

For those currently in school, ¹û¶³´«Ã½offers a student readiness program, virtual community, local school societies, awards, and scholarships! Check out our Resources for Students. 

For schools

¹û¶³´«Ã½works directly with schools to help you get your students a top-notch certification for employment in the clinical laboratory. See more here or for direct help, submit our form.

NAACLS benchmarking note

Students who complete a clinical lab program that is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) are eligible to sit for an ¹û¶³´«Ã½lab certification.¹û¶³´«Ã½exams for MLS, MLT and RPT are accepted for NAACLS benchmarking, which means that reporting to NAACLS the number of students who certify through ¹û¶³´«Ã½helps schools meet NAACLS standards and stay accredited.

For employers

¹û¶³´«Ã½can help you get your current staff certified or find qualified candidates who are already certified. See details here. or for direct help, submit our form.

Further resources and helpful links

Specifics on ¹û¶³´«Ã½Member benefits

Blog post: Exam tips from those who passed

Browse the ¹û¶³´«Ã½Resource Center for detailed information