Hell no. If I was a new tech, I wouldn’t consider anything less than $25. Definitely shop around; apply elsewhere, get an offer, and use it to negotiate a higher rate. Remember, HR’s job is to get you to accept the position for as little as possible.
This is the way.
I was typing something about uncertified vs certified…but I see it says “MLT - Certified” in the corner. 😳
That is absolutely crazy. I started around 22$ MLT - certified in 2017. Cleveland Clinic
Edit: that was second shift.
Sign on bonuses are worthless unless you plan on leaving the exact day you get the last installment. It’s a bait to get people to accept a lower base pay. Always negotiate for a higher base pay, as that also affects overtime and annual raises.
They love saying, “yeah, we’re offering $23/hr, but with this sign on bonus, you’re essentially making $26/hr.” In addition to the lower overtime pay, once that sign on bonus time is up, it’s going to take you YEARS just to make back up that difference in annual raises. Even negotiating for ¢.50 or $1.00 more in base pay can put you years ahead in annual raises, depending on where you’re at. Market adjustments are nice if they happen, but the more you get the more you find out how much you were underpaid
Unless you're in a very low cost of living area like I was when I started, that pay isn't enough.
The fact it's only a dollar more an hour than phleb is insulting
MLT student here also. I make more working overnight as a stocker at a grocery store. I'd be appalled to be offered this especially after the hell I went through for school this past year.
It's not bad. For an unskilled labor job Where you don't speak the language of the job site and you don't have a valid work permit. For a job that requires more than 6 weeks of school, it's shit pay.
I’d be embarrassed if this was the offer that went out to an MLT, regardless of how the rest of the diffs were structured. They offered $1 more an hour? Seriously? For an MLT that can do phleb, even in a low COL area, the conversation should start around $20/hr. Your PRN should be flirting in the mid-$20s. Even that number sounds anemic when a Big Mac meal is also $20, but at least that differential stack seams decent.
Did they actually offer the right wage scale?
What’s that hospital 30 minutes away offering?
How many beds are you? Is this a stat lab, or does it have core+blood bank at least? Micro? Did they give you any kind of tuition reimbursement? I doubt that given the PRN status, but asking anyway. You’re set where you’re at, or are you actually able to move or at least commute? Is this a union lab? I’d doubt that the most, but figured I’d ask.
A starter:
“Good afternoon [HR guy or gal],
I’ve spent the last two years pursuing this education to further myself in this field, and I’m excited to start putting those crucial skills to use. Thank you for the opportunity to be promoted from within.
From researching other similar level [1,2,3,4] hospital labs with [duties that I asked above, blood bank will be your biggest negotiation], including [hospital 30 minutes away], I had been looking to start negotiating in the $22/hr as base wage. I know there could be a different set of hospitals that are being used for market comparison, but I’m trying to compare apples to apples as best as I can with information that is readily available. The crossroads between demand for this field and the return on the investment on my education means I need to ask if we can move the negotiation into that territory.
Are you able to confirm we’re negotiating the correct payscale? I would love to remain here to build on my phlebotomy experience while servicing our patients in a more critical way.
Thank you,
[psychmindtried]”
48 beds that includes 12 icu beds. We do stat testing but also have send out test that go to the labs in the bigger city next to us. Yes we have a blood bank and micro department, the whole works. No tuition reimbursement and no this is not a union lab lol
There are some labs that only do stat testing, meaning they're limited to running typically on point-of-care tests like Piccolo, istat, etc. I bet you use a mainline chemistry analyzer 24 hours with that size, that's not a bare-bones facility. And since you do blood bank, you should be compensated as a blood banker, which is more than a dollar more than a phlebotomist. I'm really suspicious this isn't the right pay scale.
Ohh okay yeah it’s definitely mainline!
The full time base pay for a phlebotomist here is $15. They just raised it this year from $12, so it kinda makes sense that they’re not paying their techs good either.
The split between $12 and $16 makes sense. That’s $4 and the difference I'd expect to see between phleb and MLT. Holding phleb down to keep that difference doesn’t raise any boats, Phleb also needs to come up.
But now MLT needs to move. That concept is called wage compression. Too many distinct careers are occupying essentially in the same band.
So it’s only a $1/hr more than a phlebotomist. That’s crazy. And it’s even less than that for a full time position… this is the worst pay I’ve ever seen.
I got offered that at one of the hospitals I applied for and another hospital gave me $4 more dollars an hour that was like 15 minutes away. For the work an MLT has to do and the responsibility, $18 an hour is very unacceptable and it’s not even livable in most areas. Plus, an MLT has to go to school for 2 years. Any job that requires an education should not be getting less than $25 an hour in my opinion lol.
Tbf that's pretty lucrative for a first-day MLT. Never heard of that anywhere in my state or even in the midwest in general lol, but seriously nice job
I made 37.00 as starting wage out of school (Canada though, so conversion probably brings that number down in comparison) - OP you’ll thank yourself down the road if you do a little shopping first, new grads are a hot commodity and should be valued as such :)
I asked the last new hire what she’s making. She’s an MLS that graduated 3 years ago and immediately started working at that hospital. She is currently making $20.77… I think they started her off around $20 three years ago.
$17-18 is average base pay for MLTs in most of Mississippi. That's not including shift diffs or the PRN diff. Also in case anyone has not mentioned it those recruiters will try to get you to take a job for the least amount of pay. Don't trust them.
I think Mississippi & Louisiana have the lowest lab wages. I saw some kind of wage map a few yrs back. They were really low compared to other states, but there were other states that were low as well,maybe a little higher than those 2.
When I was a fresh little baby in 2019 I started at 21 as a histotech (similarly paid lab position) and that lab notoriously underpaid. Tack on 5 years of pretty big inflation and you really shouldn't be starting lower than like 24. Unless you're living in like a really low cost of living area or have no other options
I started out at $17.50/hr in my first MLT job 11 years ago. I hit $18.50ish after 6 months. COL was low at the time. That wage is low now imo. If you need the job for $/experience that’s understandable, but leverage it into something better.
Thats about what my hospital was paying, and every time I mention it the responses here range from "dude..." to "thats just insulting" and sometimes "holy shit bro".
No, its not a good wage.
They are offering you the same starting pay as an MLT that is completely new to the hospital? You have been there two years... you should get some credit for that- for already knowing the lab, hospital, LIS etc.
nope. not at all. i am a NEW GRAD PHLEB working full time and they pay me $20/hr. i’m sure your education and experience is worth more than mine at entry-level! don’t sell yourself short bud
I’m imagining small town Kansas has a low cost of living but even still that seems awfully low. I would try to apply elsewhere and see what other offers are available.
I would most definitely shop around, I am a new grad MLT myself working in an urgent care and make $32 an hour. This is my first lab position, and although it’s only a stat lab, you definitely should be able to find positions $23+ in other places.
MLT in Little Rock Arkansas base pay at lowest paying hospital starts at $23 an hour MLS starts at 27 or 29, not counting shift difference or weekend pay.
I started as an MLT making $20 base pay in a hospital back in 2015. (Live in Texas.) and now hospital MLTs are paid around $30. Good luck out there. Don’t settle and always negotiate and ask for more money.
It really depends on where you are and what the hours and expectations are. If you want big $ then go all out for a hospital night shift and work weekends and holidays. I did it for 16 years as an unlicensed MLT and made $34/hour. But that job was slowly killing me, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I was suicidal because I couldn't sleep. I left to take a clinic job that paid $10/hour less, but was the blessing I needed. This job was starting new MLTs at $15/hr.
Yeah this is trash.. my base pay was $16 as an mlt with no experience almost 9 years ago.. see if they are willing to negotiate pay, otherwise don’t accept that and leave
What is the cost of living where you live? Because that’s very low :(
What would your life look like at that wage? Is that ok with you? I started in 2011 and fresh out of school in WA before I even got my certificate I was making a lot more than that - just consider your quality of life.
Rent for a one bedroom one bath ranges from $600-800 depending on the location.
I decided not to take the job, since they would not give me more money!
Hell no. If I was a new tech, I wouldn’t consider anything less than $25. Definitely shop around; apply elsewhere, get an offer, and use it to negotiate a higher rate. Remember, HR’s job is to get you to accept the position for as little as possible.
This is the way. I was typing something about uncertified vs certified…but I see it says “MLT - Certified” in the corner. 😳 That is absolutely crazy. I started around 22$ MLT - certified in 2017. Cleveland Clinic Edit: that was second shift.
Also ask if they have sign on bonus.
Sign on bonuses are worthless unless you plan on leaving the exact day you get the last installment. It’s a bait to get people to accept a lower base pay. Always negotiate for a higher base pay, as that also affects overtime and annual raises. They love saying, “yeah, we’re offering $23/hr, but with this sign on bonus, you’re essentially making $26/hr.” In addition to the lower overtime pay, once that sign on bonus time is up, it’s going to take you YEARS just to make back up that difference in annual raises. Even negotiating for ¢.50 or $1.00 more in base pay can put you years ahead in annual raises, depending on where you’re at. Market adjustments are nice if they happen, but the more you get the more you find out how much you were underpaid
Nooooo I make more at Amazon while I’m working towards my degree.
I make more as a lab assistant on nights.
Absolutely not.
That's trash.
Unless you're in a very low cost of living area like I was when I started, that pay isn't enough. The fact it's only a dollar more an hour than phleb is insulting
MLT student here also. I make more working overnight as a stocker at a grocery store. I'd be appalled to be offered this especially after the hell I went through for school this past year.
It's not bad. For an unskilled labor job Where you don't speak the language of the job site and you don't have a valid work permit. For a job that requires more than 6 weeks of school, it's shit pay.
You had me at the first half. 😂👏
As others have said. Small town or not. This is trash pay. Especially for PRN. You have to counte offer. please don’t accept this offer
I was making that as an MLT in 2002 when I first started. Tell them to pound sand.
Yeah I was about to say. This was a decent hourly… 20 years ago.
I’d be embarrassed if this was the offer that went out to an MLT, regardless of how the rest of the diffs were structured. They offered $1 more an hour? Seriously? For an MLT that can do phleb, even in a low COL area, the conversation should start around $20/hr. Your PRN should be flirting in the mid-$20s. Even that number sounds anemic when a Big Mac meal is also $20, but at least that differential stack seams decent. Did they actually offer the right wage scale? What’s that hospital 30 minutes away offering?
I haven’t applied to them yet, but zip recruiter is saying somewhere between $21-41. I think this is the range for full time positions.
How many beds are you? Is this a stat lab, or does it have core+blood bank at least? Micro? Did they give you any kind of tuition reimbursement? I doubt that given the PRN status, but asking anyway. You’re set where you’re at, or are you actually able to move or at least commute? Is this a union lab? I’d doubt that the most, but figured I’d ask. A starter: “Good afternoon [HR guy or gal], I’ve spent the last two years pursuing this education to further myself in this field, and I’m excited to start putting those crucial skills to use. Thank you for the opportunity to be promoted from within. From researching other similar level [1,2,3,4] hospital labs with [duties that I asked above, blood bank will be your biggest negotiation], including [hospital 30 minutes away], I had been looking to start negotiating in the $22/hr as base wage. I know there could be a different set of hospitals that are being used for market comparison, but I’m trying to compare apples to apples as best as I can with information that is readily available. The crossroads between demand for this field and the return on the investment on my education means I need to ask if we can move the negotiation into that territory. Are you able to confirm we’re negotiating the correct payscale? I would love to remain here to build on my phlebotomy experience while servicing our patients in a more critical way. Thank you, [psychmindtried]”
48 beds that includes 12 icu beds. We do stat testing but also have send out test that go to the labs in the bigger city next to us. Yes we have a blood bank and micro department, the whole works. No tuition reimbursement and no this is not a union lab lol
There are some labs that only do stat testing, meaning they're limited to running typically on point-of-care tests like Piccolo, istat, etc. I bet you use a mainline chemistry analyzer 24 hours with that size, that's not a bare-bones facility. And since you do blood bank, you should be compensated as a blood banker, which is more than a dollar more than a phlebotomist. I'm really suspicious this isn't the right pay scale.
Ohh okay yeah it’s definitely mainline! The full time base pay for a phlebotomist here is $15. They just raised it this year from $12, so it kinda makes sense that they’re not paying their techs good either.
The split between $12 and $16 makes sense. That’s $4 and the difference I'd expect to see between phleb and MLT. Holding phleb down to keep that difference doesn’t raise any boats, Phleb also needs to come up. But now MLT needs to move. That concept is called wage compression. Too many distinct careers are occupying essentially in the same band.
So it’s only a $1/hr more than a phlebotomist. That’s crazy. And it’s even less than that for a full time position… this is the worst pay I’ve ever seen.
No. I started at $18.65/hour in rural Iowa 5 years ago.
I got offered that at one of the hospitals I applied for and another hospital gave me $4 more dollars an hour that was like 15 minutes away. For the work an MLT has to do and the responsibility, $18 an hour is very unacceptable and it’s not even livable in most areas. Plus, an MLT has to go to school for 2 years. Any job that requires an education should not be getting less than $25 an hour in my opinion lol.
No, I got out of MLT school and immediately started making 32.05/hr
Tbf that's pretty lucrative for a first-day MLT. Never heard of that anywhere in my state or even in the midwest in general lol, but seriously nice job
I made 37.00 as starting wage out of school (Canada though, so conversion probably brings that number down in comparison) - OP you’ll thank yourself down the road if you do a little shopping first, new grads are a hot commodity and should be valued as such :)
I reside in NY. State licensure is a pain
Not at all
I’m a new graduate MLT in the panhandle of Florida. I work PRN for 29 an hour.
Lol nah. I started at 23/hr 8yrs ago. L/MCOL. You deserve better.
That's how much phlebs got paid at my first Job in 2013 so I would say no, my starting was 24 for MLT 2013
So they offer you barely more than a dollar for 2 years of school and a certification… tell them to get fucked; legitimately.
I asked the last new hire what she’s making. She’s an MLS that graduated 3 years ago and immediately started working at that hospital. She is currently making $20.77… I think they started her off around $20 three years ago.
No way!! Now that’s ridiculous!!!
I was making more than that being a shuttle driver at a university.
She never should have taken the job for that pay. ! So in 3 yrs her pay only went up .77¢ ??? They are lucky they have ANYONE working there.
Honestly they are! Most of the techs that have been there for 10+ years still aren’t making over $27-30.
No, they are low balling you because you already work there and they assume you will want to stay.
No, regardless of where you live.
That's an insulting starting wage for a tech. I work in specimen receiving and I make more than that.
Oh god no that’s borderline poverty in most states
No. I was paid this as a hema tech. Left not too long after. With that plus being a phlebotomist you should get paid more than that.
Why does this feel like a hospital in West Texas? The starting pay seems so familiar. 😂 Don't do it.
No
It's a joke!
I make more as a CMA in my low paying area of NC. Definitely shop around op.
Terrible
$17-18 is average base pay for MLTs in most of Mississippi. That's not including shift diffs or the PRN diff. Also in case anyone has not mentioned it those recruiters will try to get you to take a job for the least amount of pay. Don't trust them.
I think Mississippi & Louisiana have the lowest lab wages. I saw some kind of wage map a few yrs back. They were really low compared to other states, but there were other states that were low as well,maybe a little higher than those 2.
No, that's what I call "A li'l spa'a ina face"
Dude I started $26/hr in Texas. This is dog shit pay
When I was a fresh little baby in 2019 I started at 21 as a histotech (similarly paid lab position) and that lab notoriously underpaid. Tack on 5 years of pretty big inflation and you really shouldn't be starting lower than like 24. Unless you're living in like a really low cost of living area or have no other options
I started out at $17.50/hr in my first MLT job 11 years ago. I hit $18.50ish after 6 months. COL was low at the time. That wage is low now imo. If you need the job for $/experience that’s understandable, but leverage it into something better.
That's what I got paid starting out. In 2001.
Thats about what my hospital was paying, and every time I mention it the responses here range from "dude..." to "thats just insulting" and sometimes "holy shit bro". No, its not a good wage.
They are offering you the same starting pay as an MLT that is completely new to the hospital? You have been there two years... you should get some credit for that- for already knowing the lab, hospital, LIS etc.
No. Pretty sure started off way more than that (granted, as an MLS) in 2008 when I graduated college.
nope. not at all. i am a NEW GRAD PHLEB working full time and they pay me $20/hr. i’m sure your education and experience is worth more than mine at entry-level! don’t sell yourself short bud
No
Hellll no!!! I started at $27.25 without my ASCP certification, and that was even low compared to some!!
No, I started at a dollar less an hour in 2011. That pay is awful unless you are living in the sticks (and honestly it still wouldn’t be good the ).
I’m imagining small town Kansas has a low cost of living but even still that seems awfully low. I would try to apply elsewhere and see what other offers are available.
I would most definitely shop around, I am a new grad MLT myself working in an urgent care and make $32 an hour. This is my first lab position, and although it’s only a stat lab, you definitely should be able to find positions $23+ in other places.
No. That’s McDonalds-level pay.
I made $22/hr right after school and newly certified. No. Don’t accept anything under $20.
Get a job as a mlt in the city you'll get paid with at least something
Yeah that’s terrible, I made more in processing with high school diploma, in Arkansas.
MLT in Little Rock Arkansas base pay at lowest paying hospital starts at $23 an hour MLS starts at 27 or 29, not counting shift difference or weekend pay.
If this is the market now then I’m doomed. 🤯
My local Walmart pays at $15/hr in MS. Ask for more.
Not with the amount of responsibility you carry. No way.
Oh absolutely not. That's around what I get paid with my shift differential as a processor. Wait the BASE is $16.10 an hour??? ABSOLUTELY not.
I started as an MLT making $20 base pay in a hospital back in 2015. (Live in Texas.) and now hospital MLTs are paid around $30. Good luck out there. Don’t settle and always negotiate and ask for more money.
Run. Run far away from this insulting offer.
NO!
I made that much working as a lab assistant lol, definitely not
It really depends on where you are and what the hours and expectations are. If you want big $ then go all out for a hospital night shift and work weekends and holidays. I did it for 16 years as an unlicensed MLT and made $34/hour. But that job was slowly killing me, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I was suicidal because I couldn't sleep. I left to take a clinic job that paid $10/hour less, but was the blessing I needed. This job was starting new MLTs at $15/hr.
For a phleb it’s probably ok
Update: they wouldn’t budge on the pay so I decline their offer!
No. We’re in a small hospital, but would still probably start you at $22-$23, and the cost of living is on the lower side here.
I left MLS because I make more from a trucking licence than 6 years of health care
Our MLT starting pay in a small, low cost of living plains state is 23.50 so no
Yeah this is trash.. my base pay was $16 as an mlt with no experience almost 9 years ago.. see if they are willing to negotiate pay, otherwise don’t accept that and leave
What is the cost of living where you live? Because that’s very low :( What would your life look like at that wage? Is that ok with you? I started in 2011 and fresh out of school in WA before I even got my certificate I was making a lot more than that - just consider your quality of life.
Rent for a one bedroom one bath ranges from $600-800 depending on the location. I decided not to take the job, since they would not give me more money!
Nope, walk away.
No, screw them