Development of administrative roles for medical technologists

Highlights in the development of administrative roles for medical technologists have been reviewed. The profession of medical technology advanced through successive increments of education, responsibility, and authority. At the national level the active participation on Boards and agencies led to recognition and respect for the profession. Early in their history, medical technologists were given responsibility for teaching, then for educational administration. Not until the 1940s were medical technologists given roles as laboratory supervisors. After World War II, technology burgeoned, and in the 1950s and 60s articles indicated the extent to which medical technologists were delegated administrative roles at all levels. In the 1960s bachelor's degree and advanced degree programs recognized the need to prepare graduates for roles in management. This preparation in turn set the stage for greater participation in administrative activities.