Allied Technicial Institute

A hospital tech works in hospitals, surgical centers, or clinics. He or she knows how to use medical equipment in order to provide tests such as ekg’s for patients. Hospital techs spend time cleaning medical
equipment and restocking that equipment. Some work in surgical rooms and must know the tools and how to assemble them. They also keep areas clean and decontaminated. A hospital tech must have strong medical knowledge as well as a firm background in math and biology.
One way a hospital tech can improve his or her chances of getting a job at one of the higher-paying hospitals is to get certified through the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA). To get a certification, the hospital tech must past a test. Cost of the test is $125.00. It consists of around 150 questions and the person is allotted three hours to take the test.

A student can attend college in a four year degree program. Three of those years are spent learning a good deal of math, chemistry, and biology. The fourth year is served as a residency and the student learns about different medical equipment to run tests and to read and analyze test results. Some hospital techs go on to earn a master’s degree.

A hospital tech can also get an associate’s degree in a medical field, but to be certified, must have at least 24 hours of classes in biological, chemical and/or medical sciences. He or she must also have at

least one year experience as a hospital tech.

Cost of a four year college program varies with location and whether the college is private or public. Average cost per year at a public four-year college is about $6500. A private college can cost up to $25,000 a year. A two-year college runs about $2400 a year. The cost of books and materials per year can run as much as $1500. Room and board for a four-year college can cost as much as $8000 or $10000 per year depending on whether it is a public or private college. Room and board for a two year college can cost as much as $2000.

There are many student financial aid programs available. Scholarships and grants are offered by most colleges. Federal student loans have low interest rates and reasonable terms to repay them. In addition, there are many private student loans that can be used to pay for tuition. Home equity loans can also be used for education.

In looking at the difference in cost of tuition between the four-year and two-year programs, it is easy to see why some prefer the two-year program. A student must keep in mind, however; with the two-year program, the hospital tech must work for a year before he or she can be certified. Sometimes this means working at a lower salary. Whatever path a hospital tech chooses, the education must be continuing. Classes are taken on a regular basis to maintain certification and retesting for the certification is done periodically.

Salary for hospital techs varies by location. Larger cities in the U.S., such as Atlanta, Georgia, or Houston, TX pay more ($42,000 and $38,000, respectfully). Some overseas locations, such as Paris, pay around $40,000. Generally, an average salary for a hospital tech is around $40,000. A bigger hospital with more modern and larger lab facilities usually pays more. Salaries for this position have risen just in the past year due to population growth and advancement in technology which have increased the need for more and better testing. Fortunately, this has also increased the need for hospital techs.