A Career in the
Clinical Laboratory Sciences
A Perfect Blend of
Science, Medicine and Biotechnology
www.LabScience.org
Would you like
to know….
• How you can join an expanding field with
multiple and flexible career opportunities?
• How you can be a medical detective to
investigate and find causes of illness?
• How you can have an exciting and rewarding
career helping to save lives and cure disease?
www.LabScience.org
Consider A Career in the
Clinical Laboratory Sciences!
www.LabScience.org
Center photo reprinted with permission of the American
Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Chicago, IL
Why Choose to Become a Clinical
Laboratory Professional…
Clinical laboratory professionals
analyze blood, body fluids,
tissues and cells to determine
the presence or absence of
disease
They are highly skilled in the use
of the latest in biomedical
techniques and instrumentation
www.LabScience.org
Important Work!
Clinical laboratory professionals
are vital members of the health
care team
Up to 70% of physician decisions
regarding patient diagnosis and
therapy are based on lab test
results
Modern medicine could not
function without clinical
laboratory professionals
www.LabScience.org
Unlimited Opportunities!
Clinical lab professionals are in
great demand!
• Multiple employment opportunities immediately
after graduation
• Flexibility in working hours and shifts
• Highly versatile skills that translate into an
unlimited choice of practice settings
• An excellent background for careers in research,
medicine and biotechnology
www.LabScience.org
Join a Large Component of
Healthcare!
• Clinical lab professionals are the third largest
group of health professionals after doctors
and nurses
• Over a quarter of a million clinical lab
professionals work in clinical labs nationwide
• There are over a thousand different clinical lab
tests
• Over 7 billion clinical lab tests are performed
each year in 171,000 laboratories in the US
www.LabScience.org
Job Ratings!
• Medical technologist and medical laboratory
technician ranked 16 and 18 in a list of 250
jobs according to Jobs Related Almanac (Les
Krantz, 1999)
• They also ranked 3rd and 4th in the healthcare
and medicine occupational category based on
factors such as salary, stress levels, work
environment, outlook, security and physical
demands.
www.LabScience.org
Where Do Clinical Laboratory
Professionals Work?
• Although most clinical laboratory
professionals work in:
Hospital clinical labs
Physician office labs
Commercial or reference labs
Public Health labs
• There are many other exciting employment
opportunities for clinical laboratory
professionals
www.LabScience.org
Clinical Lab Professionals Also
Work In…………..
 Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industries
 Biotechnology Companies
 Forensic and Law Enforcement
Laboratories
 Veterinary Clinics
 Research and Teaching Institutions
 Transplant and Blood Donor Centers
 Fertility Clinics
 Cosmetic and Food Industry
www.LabScience.org
A Degree in a Medical Laboratory
Science is an Also Excellent Starting
Point for Career Advancement in:
 Medicine
 Dentistry
 Public Health
 Biomedical Technology
 Health Care Management
and Administration
www.LabScience.org
And more….
 Medical Informatics
 Basic Science and Cancer Research
 Sales, Marketing, Product Development
 Law and Public Advocacy
 Education
 Many others
www.LabScience.org
The Clinical Lab is a Biomedical
Environment
Requires excellent
technical skills as well
as problem solving,
data analysis,
computer skills, and
good oral and written
communication
www.LabScience.org
Who Works in a Clinical Laboratory?
Post HS
Associate
(2 Year Degree)
Phlebotomist (PBT)
Clinical Laboratory Technician (CLT) or
Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT)
Histotechnician (HT)
Baccalaureate
(4 Year Degree)
Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) or
Medical Technologist (MT)
Cytotechnologist (CT)
Histotechnologist (HTL)
Masters, PhD, MD
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Directors, Managers, Coordinators
Clinical Laboratory Scientists
and Technicians
Analyze body fluids for many
diverse proteins, sugars,
enzymes, lipids, hormones and
drugs
Provide information to
physicians to help diagnose:
• Cancer
• Diabetes and kidney disease
• Drug overdoses
• And many other conditions …
www.LabScience.org
Clinical Laboratory Scientists
and Technicians
Detect and identify
disease-causing
bacteria and parasites
Determine the best
antibiotics to use for
bacterial infections
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Clinical Laboratory Scientists
and Technicians
Examine and count
blood cells to detect
abnormalities found
in anemias,
leukemias and
infections so
appropriate therapy
can be started
www.LabScience.org
Clinical Laboratory Scientists
and Technicians
Analyze blood to
find causes for
abnormal bleeding
or clotting
Test plasma to monitor
therapy with
anticoagulant drugs
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Clinical Laboratory Scientists
and Technicians
Prepare red blood
cells, platelets, plasma
for safe transfusion
Use techniques to
detect antibodies to
Strep Infections, Lyme
Disease, Infectious
Mono, and many other
diseases
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Clinical Laboratory Scientists
Perform testing on
DNA, RNA or
chromosomes to help
identify genetic
causes of disease or
to identify pathogens
and their drug
resistance mutations
www.LabScience.org
From: National Human Genome Research Institute
Cytotechnologists
Examine cell samples on
slides to determine the
presence of cancerous or
benign diseases
Analyze microscopic cellular
changes that can directly
affect a patient’s course of
treatment
Photo reprinted with permission of the American
Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Chicago, IL
www.LabScience.org
Assist in early detection of
cancer
Cytotechnologists
Examine cells from all body
sources taken by swab or
fine needle biopsy
A Pap Smear is a commonly
performed test
www.LabScience.org
Histotechnologists and
Histotechnicians
Section, stain and
analyze tissues from
surgery for
examination by a
Pathologist
Allow pathologists to
determine if disease is
present in that tissue
www.LabScience.org
Photo reprinted with permission of the American
Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Chicago, IL
Phlebotomists
Collect blood specimens
from patients
Are careful and accurate in
processing samples
Are excellent communicators
with patients
Photo reprinted with permission of the American
Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Chicago, IL
www.LabScience.org
At Masters, Doctoral and MD Level
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•
Pathologists (MD)
Administrative Directors
Managers
Technical Supervisors
Laboratory Information Specialists
Quality Assurance Coordinators
Point of Care Testing Coordinators
Marketing and Outreach Coordinators
And more…
www.LabScience.org
Clinical Laboratory Professionals
• Enjoy the challenge of science theory, lab
discovery, technology and medicine
• Have a high level of responsibility and
commitment to help others
• Have the capacity for calm and reasoned
judgment
• Are organized, efficient and are good problem
solvers, communicators and team players
• Have high standards and demand quality
performance and accuracy
www.LabScience.org
For Medical Lab Professionals,
Safety Always Comes First!
• Protective clothing: gloves, lab coats,
goggles
• Safety needles, sharps containers
• Biological and chemical safety hoods
• Automatic loading instruments
www.LabScience.org
US Labor Statistics
According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics,
through the year 2010:
• 12,200 new laboratorians
needed in hospitals per year
• Only 4000 graduates from
educational programs per year
• Projected need of 8,200 new
laboratorians per year!
www.LabScience.org
Vacancy Rates
National
Northeast
Clinical Lab Scientist
(Medical Technologist)
7.0%
8.3%
Cytotechnologist
7.6%
2.9%
Histotechnician
8.7%
No data
Medical Lab Technicians
Phlebotomist
8.6%
9.1%
3.5%
8.0%
Source: 2002 Wage and Vacancy Survey of Medical Laboratories,
American Society of Clinical Pathology. Lab Med (2003), 34:702-707.
www.LabScience.org
NJ Educational Programs
Baccalaureate Degree
Preprofessional Component
Universities with Clinical Lab
Science and Medical
Technology Majors
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Bloomfield College
Caldwell College
College of St. Elizabeth
Fairleigh Dickinson Univ
Felician College
Kean College
Monmouth University
New Jersey City Univ
Ramapo College
Rutgers Univ – Newark
St. Peters College
www.LabScience.org
Professional Component
Clinical Laboratory Science
(Medical Technology)
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Jersey Shore Medical Center
Monmouth Medical Center
Morristown Memorial Hosp
University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey
Valley Hospital
Cytotechnology
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University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey
NJ Educational Programs
Associate Degree
Clinical Lab Technician
(Medical Lab Technician)
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Northern NJ Consortium for
Medical Laboratory
Technology Education
(Bergen, Passaic and Sussex
County Colleges)
Camden County College
Mercer County College
Middlesex County College
www.LabScience.org
Post HS Certificate
Phlebotomy
• Mercer County College
• University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey
Clinical Laboratory
Professionals
• Highly versatile skills
• Solving medical mysteries
• Providing vital information to
save a life and cure a disease
www.LabScience.org
Further Information
• American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
http://www.ascls.org/jobs/careers.asp
• UMDNJ - Video clip on clinical laboratory profession
http://healthcareers.umdnj.edu
• New Jersey Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
www.nj.ascls.org
• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory
Science www.naacls.org
• American Society for Clinical Pathology
www.ascp.org/bor/medlab/careers
www.LabScience.org
Acknowledgments
www.LabScience.org
was developed by the New Jersey Society for
Clinical Laboratory Science with support from the
New Jersey Hospital Association and the New
Jersey Clinical Laboratory Management
Association to promote awareness of careers in
the clinical laboratory professions
Photo credits: University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey, Newark, NJ and the American Society for
Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Chicago, IL
www.LabScience.org