The objectives of this study which was conducted as part of the UCLA Allied Health Professions Project were: (1) to determine the percent of medical laboratory workers who perform a comprehensive list of tasks and procedures; (2) to evaluate this performance in terms of certification and specialty area; and (3) on the basis of these data, to make recommendations on curriculum for medical laboratory personnel. A National Technical Advisory Committee, representing leaders in the medical laboratory field, was established, a survey instrument was developed, based on a task inventory of medical laboratory occupations, and a national survey of various types of laboratory facilities was conducted. The survey data, evaluated as a basis for curriculum development, established that: (1) Routine tasks include equipment maintenance, specimen processing, and the use of laboratory equipment, (2) Tasks in the four clinical areas of urinalysis, hematology, microbiology, and biochemistry could serve as a basic curriculum for beginning students, (3) Some difficult training procedures should be delayed until the educational background is developed, and (4) A yearly curriculum review is necessary to insure continued relevance to educational needs. Numerous tables present the data. (Author/AG)