1. Diagnostic Detectives: Medical Laboratory Professionals
A Closer Look at
Careers in
Clinical Laboratory Science
(Medical Technology)

2. When your doctor orders “lab tests” do you know…..
Who collects and processes your blood sample?
Phlebotomists / Lab Assistants
Who analyzes blood and body fluid samples in a variety of laboratories?
Clinical Laboratory Technicians (Medical Laboratory Technicians) Clinical Laboratory Scientists (Medical Technologists)

3. Medical Laboratory Facts
A behind-the-scenes, highly skilled team of pathologists, specialists, technologists, and technicians work together to provide valuable data needed to:
determine the presence or absence of disease
evaluate the effectiveness of treatment
maintain health
Also called Clinical Pathology and Anatomic Pathology.

4. Medical Laboratory Facts
Clinical laboratory professionals generate data to assist physicians in the detection of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, infectious mono, bacterial and viral infections, and drugs of abuse.
80% of all physician decisions are based on laboratory test results produced by the laboratory team.

5. Clinical Pathology
This laboratory performs testing on blood and body fluids.
Laboratory professionals use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and technology, computers, as well as methods requiring manual dexterity, to
perform the thousands
of laboratory tests
currently available.

6. Careers in the Clinical Pathology Laboratory
Phlebotomist
Laboratory Assistant
Clinical Laboratory Scientist / Medical Technologist
Clinical Laboratory Technician / Medical Laboratory Technician
Supervisor/Manager/Educator
Technical Specialist (PhD)
Pathologist (MD or DO)
NOTE: Educational requirements for professions in blue will be discussed later.

7. Other Job Opportunities
Hospital laboratories
Reference laboratories
Physician office laboratories
State Department of Health
Fertility clinics
Pharmaceutical / Biotech industry
Veterinary laboratories
Forensic laboratories

8. Daily Routine Phlebotomist Specimen Collection Laboratory Assistant
Specimen Processing and Pre-Analytic Functions
Clinical Laboratory Technician and Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Also known as Medical Laboratory Technician and Medical Technologist
May be a Generalist (working in all lab sections) or a Specialist (work in one lab)
Specimen Analysis (automated or manual)
Instrument Maintenance
Quality Control Procedures
Result Review

9. Typical Clinical Pathology Laboratory Sections:
Hematology
Coagulation
Chemistry
Toxicology
Immunology
Transfusion Medicine (Blood Bank)
Histocompatibility Testing
Medical Microbiology
Molecular Pathology
Flow Cytometry

10. Photo Tour of a Clinical Pathology Laboratory

11. Phlebotomy
The phlebotomist collects blood samples from patients - young and old.

12. Specimen Processing
Laboratory assistants receive and prepare blood and body fluid specimens for testing.

13. Hematology Laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Technician (Medical Laboratory Technician) performing blood cell counts on computerized automation.

14. Hematology Laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Medical Technologist) reviewing blood cell morphology under the microscope to detect the presence of certain anemias, leukemias, or lymphomas.

15. Hematology Laboratory
Normal Lymphocyte
Leukemic Blasts & Lymphocyte
Atypical Lymphocyte

16. Coagulation Laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Medical Technologist) performing tests that determine the presence of a bleeding or clotting disorder.

17. Chemistry Laboratory
Technicians and technologists analyze blood serum for hundreds of biochemical elements that reflect cardiac, liver, renal, endocrine and acid/base function.
Example tests include glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, heart and liver enzymes.

18. Chemistry Laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Scientists (Medical Technologists) monitor instrument quality control data and review patient results before releasing the information to the physician.

19. Toxicology Laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Scientists (Medical Technologists) utilize thin layer chromatography to analyze urine specimens for therapeutic drugs as well as drugs of abuse.

20. Urinalysis Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Technicians and Medical Technologists analyze urine for elements such as glucose, protein, ketones, bilirubin, pH, abnormal cells and chemical crystals.

21. Immunology Laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Scientists and Clinical Laboratory Technicians perform tests on serum to detect antibody production in response to various infections and disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, hepatitis, herpes, and allergies.

22. Transfusion Medicine Laboratory (Blood Bank)
Clinical Laboratory Scientists perform ABO and Rh typing, antibody screening, and crossmatching to determine safe donor blood for a transfusion of a patient.

23. Transfusion Medicine Laboratory (Blood Bank)
Medical Technologists check the paperwork for correct information before releasing the unit of blood to be transfused.

24. Histocompatibility Laboratory
Medical Technologists perform serological typing of white blood cells for HLA antigens to determine:
if a donor organ or bone marrow is a good match for transplantation into a recipient.
certain disease associations

25. Microbiology Laboratory
Clinical Laboratory Scientists use various culture techniques to determine which bacteria, virus or fungus might be causing illness.

26. Microbiology Laboratory
Medical Technologists perform antimicrobial susceptibility testing on bacterial isolates to determine what antibiotics will be effective in treating the infection.

27. Molecular Pathology Lab
Clinical Laboratory Scientists extract and amplify the DNA from various samples.

28. Molecular Pathology Lab
The DNA or RNA nucleic
acid sequences are
then studied for:
unique sequences of various bacterial, fungal or viral organisms
defective genes found in inherited disease such as cystic fibrosis
mutations in certain cancer cells

29. Flow Cytometry Lab
Medical Technologists use a flow cytometer to detect:
abnormal cell surface markers found in leukemia and lymphoma
lymphocyte subsets in HIV infection.

30. More Information… Education & Training Certification
Career Advancement
Wages and Job Outlook

31. Education, Training, and Certification

32. Phlebotomy Technician
High School diploma or GED
Good communication skills
Formal course in Phlebotomy preferred
Phlebotomy programs are available through community colleges, proprietary health occupation schools, or other academic institutions.
Clinical training required
Certification recommended (after one year work experience or formal clinical training in accredited program): Plb or PBT
Work in hospitals, physician offices, home health care, clinics, insurance companies

33. Lab Assistant High School
Didactic courses in Lab Skills and Computer Applications also preferred
These can be taken in a high school technical/occupational health program or in a community college medical assisting curriculum.
On the job clinical training
Work in hospitals, commercial reference laboratories, research labs

34. Clinical Laboratory Technician / Medical Laboratory Technician
Associate degree
8 semester hours of both biology and chemistry (with labs)
Math and Computer Applications
Courses in Clinical Hematology/Hemostasis, Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry, and Immunohematology
Completion of a NAACLS accredited MLT/CLT program
National certification: CLT or MLT

35. Clinical Laboratory Scientist / Medical Technologist
Bachelor’s degree
16 semester hours of both chemistry and biology (with labs)
Math (algebra) and computer applications
Courses in biochemistry, statistics, physics, genetics, general microbiology recommended
Courses in Clinical Hematology, Immunohematology, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry
Completion of a NAACLS accredited MT/CLS program
National certification: CLS or MT

36. Career Advancement

37. Supervisor/Manager
Senior technologists with an interest in management play an important role in coordinating laboratory operations, staffing, and finances.

38. Educator
Senior technologists with an interest in education train new employees and share their knowledge with the next generation of professionals.
Clinical Laboratory Educator and Students

39. Technical Specialist Technical Specialists (PhDs) function as:
laboratory section technical directors
researchers
consultants to a patient’s physician.
PhD Technical Specialist and a Supervisor

40. Pathologist
Pathologists (MDs or DOs) function as laboratory directors and consultants to patient physicians.
Pathologist and a Medical Technologist

41. Wages & Job Outlook
Source: ASCP Preliminary 2003 Wage & Vacancy Survey of Medical Laboratories, July, 2004,

42. Accredited Educational Programs
The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS) has a comprehensive listing of accredited educational programs in clinical laboratory science.
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
8410 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 670
Chicago, IL

43. Certifying Agencies American Society for Clinical Pathology -
Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR)
Box 12277
Chicago, IL
National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel, Inc. (NCA)
P.O. Box
Lenexa, KS

44. Certifying Agencies
American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ABHI)
P.O. Box 19173
Lenexa, KS

45. Summary If you... are fascinated by science
like to solve puzzles and problems
enjoy mysteries
like challenge and responsibility
are accurate and reliable
work well under pressure
communicate well and
set high standards for yourself ….

46. Clinical Laboratory Science !!
Summary
then…
consider a career in
Clinical Laboratory Science !!