Are you intrigued by science, but do not want to be bothered with the day-to-day care of patients? Then, a job as a clinical laboratory scientist may be perfect for you! Clinical laboratory scientists, also called medical laboratory scientists, play a vital role in identifying and treating serious diseases, like cancer, heart diseases, and diabetes.
They are dedicated to delivering accurate and precise test results to physicians. Physicians rely on the information they provide to diagnose, monitor, and treat patients. In fact, as much as 70 percent of all decisions regarding a patient's diagnosis and treatment are based on the tests that they perform.
Using a variety of laboratory procedures, clinical laboratory scientists perform scientific testing and analyze a variety of biological specimens. Some of the tasks they perform include analyzing bodily fluid, tissue, and cells, cross matching blood for transfusion, and monitoring patient outcomes.
Clinical laboratory scientists work in a variety of settings, including hospital clinical laboratories, biotechnology companies, forensic and law enforcement laboratories, fertility clinics, and research and teaching institutions. To get into this field, you'll need a bachelor's degree in medical technology or clinical laboratory science. A bachelor's degree in a science or health-related field (e.g. chemistry or microbiology) may also be considered.
What Does a Clinical Laboratory Scientist Do
There are certain skills that many clinical laboratory scientists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, decisionmaking skills and observation skills.
Learn more about what a Clinical Laboratory Scientist does
How To Become a Clinical Laboratory Scientist
If you're interested in becoming a clinical laboratory scientist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 78.4% of clinical laboratory scientists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.8% of clinical laboratory scientists have master's degrees. Even though most clinical laboratory scientists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Learn More About How To Become a Clinical Laboratory Scientist
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Clinical Laboratory Scientist Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a clinical laboratory scientist can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as laboratory supervisor, progress to a title such as laboratory manager and then eventually end up with the title laboratory director.
Clinical Laboratory Scientist
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Average Salary for a Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Clinical Laboratory Scientists in America make an average salary of $67,900 per year or $33 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $99,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $46,000 per year.
Average Clinical Laboratory Scientist Salary
$67,900 Yearly
$32.64 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Clinical Laboratory Scientist Education
Clinical Laboratory Scientist Majors
Clinical Laboratory Scientist Degrees
Top Colleges for Clinical Laboratory Scientists
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
2. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
3. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
4. University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT • Private
5. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
6. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
Top Skills For a Clinical Laboratory Scientist
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 8.6% of clinical laboratory scientists listed test results on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and decisionmaking skills are important as well.
Clinical Laboratory Scientist Demographics
Clinical Laboratory Scientist Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among clinical laboratory scientists, 65.2% of them are women, while 34.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among clinical laboratory scientists is White, which makes up 55.4% of all clinical laboratory scientists.
- The most common foreign language among clinical laboratory scientists is Spanish at 36.0%.
Online Courses For Clinical Laboratory Scientist That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.
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Show More Clinical Laboratory Scientist CoursesBest States For a Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a clinical laboratory scientist. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, California, Nevada, and Oregon. Clinical laboratory scientists make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $79,112. Whereas in California and Nevada, they would average $76,206 and $75,473, respectively. While clinical laboratory scientists would only make an average of $74,740 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
How Do Clinical Laboratory Scientist Rate Their Jobs?
What do you like the most about working as Clinical Laboratory Scientist?
The diagnostic science. I will one day be a DCLS and work as a diagnostician. Show More
What do you NOT like?
That we are not respected as autonomous certified individuals that are equal to nurses. Also the pay does not reflect our education and expertise. Show More
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