Medical technologists' perceptions of their work: results of perception of work study in Sweden

The subjective perceptions of autonomy, occupational hazards, job satisfaction, and work content were studied for a sample of medical technologists (MTs) employed in clinical chemistry in Sweden. The sample (N = 488) consisted of a randomized tenth of the members of the MT trade union. A mailed questionnaire was completed by 359 (73.6%) MTs. A further validation was performed through interviewing 48 MTs who had not participated in the survey. The answers in the validation study corresponded well to the distributions of the answers in the main study. The MTs' job satisfaction was high, which is in accordance with a European survey, but contradictory to American studies. However, the overall picture of the MTs' perception of their work in the present study was contradictory: an ideal of what they want the occupation to be, and a reflection of a reality that partly causes considerable dissatisfaction. This may suggest that medical technology is undergoing a process of professionalization.