The Clinical Laboratory Scientists are highly skilled professionals who detect the presence of a disease and provide data to the physicians, which help them in coming up with best possible treatment plan. They are not directly involved with patients, but act as a guiding force from behind. They play a crucial role in the process of providing personalized care to the ailing people.
Clinical Laboratory Scientists often face big challenges of identifying and treating serious diseases such as cancer, heart ailments, diabetes and others. They use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and technology and highly skilled manual techniques to examine and analyze body fluids, tissues and cells. The Clinical Laboratory Scientists also evaluate test results to provide accurate information to the physicians.
Working Conditions: The Clinical Laboratory Scientists are generally employed at hospitals, clinical laboratories, public health labs, commercial labs, pharmaceutical industries, biotechnology companies, forensic labs, veterinary clinics, law enforcement laboratories, research institutions, transplant centers, blood donor centers, fertility clinics and cosmetic industry.
Education Requirements: A four-year bachelor’s degree program is the first step towards becoming a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. A bachelor’s degree in clinical science, medical technology, or any life science subject such as microbiology, is most preferable. The bachelor’s degree programs may include biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and statistics. In addition, in-depth knowledge in microbiology, immunology, hematology, will give a big boost to the profiles of aspiring Clinical Laboratory Scientists.
Many states in the United States, require the Clinical Laboratory Scientists to be licensed. The licensure can be obtained from the American Medical Technologists (AMT), the Board of Registry of the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB), and the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).
Salary & Job Outlook: The career outlook for Clinical Laboratory Scientists, remains excellent. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the projected growth rate at 22% during the period of 2012-22, which is much faster than average. The average annual salary for these professional was $79,600 as of May 2013.