Clinical Laboratory Scientists are medical laboratory professionals who analyze blood, urine, tissue, or other body specimens to provide critical data for diagnosing disease, planning treatment, and providing preventative health care. They usually have limited direct contact with patients; instead they work more closely with physicians, researchers, and other health care professionals in disease investigation, consultation, and interpretation of laboratory results.
Cytogenetic technologists are laboratory specialists who perform cell culture and chromosome analysis on such tissues as blood, bone marrow, amniotic fluid, skin, muscle, and tumors. Chromosome analysis is used for diagnosing genetic disorders. These diagnoses are essential for patient treatment and management decisions, including prenatal diagnosis, monitoring effectiveness of cancer chemotherapies, and establishing risk for genetic disorders. Cytogenetic technologists are employed in diverse clinical and research settings.
Areas of Work and Emerging Areas of Specialty
Employment opportunities are available in hospital laboratories as well as private, government, industrial, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, veterinary, and research laboratories. With advanced education, the clinical laboratory scientist has additional career options, including research, teaching, and management.
The Clinical Laboratory Sciences profession is constantly changing and advancing as new technologies are introduced that provide better methods for diagnostic testing. Molecular diagnostic techniques represent the latest advanced testing methods for malignancies, genetic screening, forensic testing, and viral studies. This continued growth of the profession produces an increased demand for well-educated and highly motivated individuals.
Cytogenetic technologists are employed in private laboratories, laboratories associated with teaching hospitals, pediatric hospitals, genetics specialty clinics, gynecological high risk care groups, cancer treatment hospitals, research laboratories of universities and pharmaceutical or chemical industrial companies. They may also work as educators, in sales or marketing or other genetics-related occupations. Experienced cytogenetic technologists may be responsible for the management and operation of cytogenetic laboratories. The work is challenging, much like piecing together a complex jigsaw puzzle.
Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has projected a 17% growth rate for clinical laboratory professionals from 1998 through 2008. They project 53,000 new jobs due to increased demand for clinical laboratory testing and another 40,000 vacancies due to retirement, change of profession, etc. That means there will be a total of about 9,300 jobs per year. Due to the shortage of clinical laboratory professionals, graduates from our CLS program have no problems finding jobs.
Employment is expected to increase faster than for the average as the volume of requested tests increases with population growth, development of new tests, increased recognition and acceptance of the role genetics plays in disease and with the aging of the population. There is a current 20+% shortage of technologists nationwide (2002).
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
Salary range
Median annual earnings of medical and clinical laboratory technologists were $45,730 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $38,740 and $54,310. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,240, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $63,120. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical and clinical laboratory technologists in May 2004 were as follows:
| General medical and surgical hospitals |
$46,020
|
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories |
45,840
|
| Offices of physicians |
41,070
|
Median annual earnings of medical and clinical laboratory technicians were $30,840 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $24,890 and $37,770. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,410, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $45,680. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of medical and clinical laboratory technicians in May 2004 were as follows:
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools |
$32,410
|
| General medical and surgical hospitals |
31,830
|
| Offices of physicians |
29,620
|
| Medical and diagnostic laboratories |
29,220
|
| Other ambulatory health care services |
28,130
|
According to the American Society for Clinical Pathology,
median hourly wages
of staff clinical laboratory
technologists and technicians
varied by laboratory
type as indicated
in the following article.
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