Medical Laboratory Technician Jobs in Seattle, WA
Seattle's hospital labs on First Hill, in South Lake Union and out at St. Anne in Burien run around the clock, and lab techs here start near $28 an hour. Here are the current openings, followed by who hires, what it pays and how to get certified.
Current medical laboratory technician Openings in Seattle, WA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Medical Laboratory Technician Work in Seattle
Most lab work in Seattle sits inside the big hospital systems. The core labs at Harborview and Virginia Mason on Pill Hill, Swedish Cherry Hill in the Central District, UW Medical Center in Montlake and Fred Hutch in South Lake Union process blood, urine and tissue samples day and night for trauma, cancer and surgical patients. That 24-hour demand is why evening and night shifts are easy to find and why differentials matter here.
One thing to know before you search: Seattle employers post far more Medical Laboratory Scientist (bachelor's level) roles than technician roles, and many listings read "MLT or MLS." An associate degree and the MLT(ASCP) credential still open doors, especially in hospital core labs south of the city, and they are the usual first rung toward MLS pay.
Top Seattle Employers for Medical Laboratory Technicians
These Seattle-area employers run clinical labs and hire lab technicians and technologists:
- Virginia Mason Franciscan Health - hires Medical Lab Technicians for its St. Anne hospital lab in Burien and lab staff at Virginia Mason Medical Center on First Hill.
- UW Medicine - the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology staffs Clinical Lab Techs and Medical Lab Scientists at Harborview, UW Medical Center - Montlake and UW Medical Center - Northwest.
- Labcorp - runs the hospital laboratory at Swedish Cherry Hill and hires medical lab technologists there.
- Fred Hutch - the cancer center in South Lake Union hires certified Clinical Technologists for its clinical labs.
Medical Laboratory Technician Salaries in Seattle
- Entry level: about $28 to $32 an hour for newly certified MLTs.
- Experienced: roughly $33 to $41 an hour for MLTs with a few years in a hospital lab.
- Senior / MLS-level: $39 to $58 an hour for certified technologists at research and cancer-care labs.
These are estimates based on Seattle employer postings and federal wage data, which puts the median for all clinical lab technologists and technicians in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro near $78,000 a year. Pay moves with your credential (MLS outearns MLT), your shift, and the employer type, and union hospital contracts add step increases and night premiums.
How to Become a Medical Laboratory Technician in Seattle
You need an associate degree from an accredited medical laboratory technology program and, for most hospital jobs, the MLT(ASCP) certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification; some employers give you six months after hire to pass it. Shoreline Community College, at 16101 Greenwood Ave N just north of the city line, runs the area's NAACLS-accredited MLT program, a 12 to 15 month accelerated track with clinical rotations in local labs. Washington does not issue a personal license to lab technicians. Instead, the Washington State Department of Health licenses each lab as a Medical Test Site, so the credential employers check is your ASCP certification.
What the Job Involves
Medical laboratory technicians run the tests doctors use to diagnose and treat patients. A typical shift means receiving and processing specimens, loading chemistry and hematology analyzers, running quality control, performing blood typing and crossmatching under supervision, reviewing results for flags, and reporting critical values to nurses and physicians. Accuracy and documentation matter on every sample.
Skills Employers Look For
- MLT(ASCP) certification, or eligibility to sit for it
- Hands-on work with chemistry, hematology and urinalysis analyzers
- Quality control and calibration routines
- Specimen processing and chain-of-custody habits
- Lab information system and Epic experience
- Comfort with evening, night and weekend rotations
Career Path and Advancement
Many Seattle lab workers start as phlebotomists or lab assistants, finish an MLT program, and move into hospital core labs. From there the usual path is a bachelor's completion program to qualify as a Medical Laboratory Scientist, which unlocks the larger share of Seattle postings and higher pay, followed by lead technologist, specialty roles in blood bank or microbiology, and lab supervisor on Pill Hill or in South Lake Union research labs.
Related Careers in Seattle
If lab work interests you, these related Seattle roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do medical lab technicians need a Washington state license?
No. Washington does not license individual lab technicians. The state Department of Health licenses the laboratory itself as a Medical Test Site, and Seattle employers ask for MLT(ASCP) or MLS(ASCP) certification instead.
How much do medical laboratory technicians make in Seattle?
Newly certified MLTs generally start around $28 to $32 an hour, experienced technicians earn $33 to $41, and certified technologists at cancer-care and research labs can reach $58. Night shifts and union step scales push the top end higher.
Where can I study medical laboratory technology near Seattle?
Shoreline Community College in Shoreline runs a NAACLS-accredited MLT program that takes about 12 to 15 months and includes clinical training in area labs. Graduates are eligible for the ASCP MLT exam.
What is the difference between an MLT and an MLS in Seattle?
An MLT holds an associate degree and works under the oversight of scientists on more complex tests. An MLS holds a bachelor's degree and can perform and sign off on the full range of testing. Seattle hospitals post more MLS roles, so many MLTs plan a bachelor's completion program.
Do Seattle hospital labs hire for night shifts?
Yes. Hospital core labs at Harborview, Swedish Cherry Hill and Virginia Mason run 24 hours, so evening and night positions are common and usually carry a shift differential on top of base pay.
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