Job Description

CLS graduates can be employed in various settings. Although the majority of graduates work in hospital laboratories, others work in research laboratories, in industrial laboratories, in reference laboratories, in public health agencies, in forensic laboratories, in laboratories associated with medical clinics, etc. Some graduates go on to an advanced degree in medicine, pharmacy, research, business, etc. Below is a generalized job description for graduates who work in clinical laboratories.

• develop and establish procedures for collecting, processing, and analyzing biological specimens and other substances.
• perform analytical tests of body fluids, blood, serum, plasma, cells, and other substances.
• integrate and relate data generated by various clinical laboratories while making decisions regarding possible discrepancies.
• confirm abnormal results, verify and execute quality control procedures, and solve problems concerning the generation of laboratory data.
• make decisions concerning the results of quality control and quality assurance measures and institute proper procedures to maintain accuracy and precision.
• establish and perform preventive and corrective maintenance of equipment and instruments as well as identify appropriate sources for repairs.
• develop, evaluate, and select new techniques, instruments, and methods in terms of their usefulness and practicality within the context of a given laboratory's personnel, equipment, space, and budgetary resources.
• demonstrate professional conduct through interpersonal skills with patients, laboratory personnel, other health care professionals, and the public.
• participate in continuing education for growth and maintenance of professional competence.
• provide leadership in educating other health personnel and the community.
• exercise principles of management, safety, and supervision.
• apply principles of educational methodologies.
• use principles of current information systems.

Tests and procedures are performed or supervised by clinical laboratory scientists who work in various areas of clinical laboratory medicine, including hematology, coagulation, microbiology, immunohematology, immunology, clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, and urinalysis. Subspecialty areas include such fields as cytogenetics, fertility testing, flow cytometry, tissue typing, bone and skin banks, forensics, and infection control. Due to the complexity of modern medicine, many clinical laboratory scientists specialize in immunohematology, hematology, microbiology, chemistry, immunology, virology, coagulation, administration, computer science, education, quality assurance, and other areas.