Clinical Lab Technicians Are Getting Online Degrees!
These days it's impossible to find a medical facility of any size that doesn't employ at least one clinical lab technician. They are responsible for running and testing any samples a doctor provides for infections, viruses, drugs or whatever is needed for a diagnosis. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently over 300,000 of them in the U.S.
The Bureau extrapolates there will be a need for another 50,000 before the decade is out, making it a profession who's growth is rated greater than average, and one that particularly benefits from an online degree.
While this may sound exceedingly attractive as a career path, coming up with the tuition is a whole other story. These days a four year degree in either medical technology or the life sciences is preferred by recruiters. With the cost of tuition rising faster than the rate of inflation, this can cause many aspiring student to pause. Even with an experienced technician earning over $50,000 a year, a Bachelor's can have a student paying off the loan for years to come.
What many don't realize is there are more options out there than a Pell Grant and student loans. These are some avenues you might not have thought of:
(1) S-STEM Scholarships - The S-STEM is a national program administered by the National Science Foundation to encourage students to study the science, technology, engineering and mathematic professions. Lab techs are considered one of them. Every year it awards 100 students $100,000 to $600,000 a year, depending on need and academics.
(2) Professional Societies - If any groups want to see their ranks swell, it's these. For instance, the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Society has a web page containing about 25 programs to assist students and post-grads obtain funding. They detail who handles each program and where you can go to find out more information. This is an excellent resource and one that should be reviewed carefully.
(3) Work Study/Internship Programs - This is how many techs get their start in the profession, and includes a number of universities and such prestigious operations as the Mayo Clinic. This provides great hands-on experience and you could end up being paid to learn. Just one proviso, there are many things you are absolutely not allowed to do until you have at least an Associates degree. Again, go to the Society for more information.
(4) Corporate Scholarships - A number of health and technological corporations are a source of financial aid. Among them are Tylenol, who gives out $250,000 to promising medical professionals and the Siemens Corporation, who donate over $7 million in STEM-related grants. Do a little homework and you'll find many more.
If there's one piece of advice for a student just starting to do his or her research on earning an online degree, it's to do all this research with the aid of a financial aid officer. They can help not only with the paperwork, but also provide guidance regarding other federal and private financial aid programs to pay the tuition, fees and other related costs for getting that degree in science . Considering all else that goes with just getting this kind of career off the ground, all the help one can get is a good thing.
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