What is Clinical Laboratory Science

Clinical Laboratory Scienctists (CLS), or Medical Technologists are the trained professionals who run the lab tests whenever you or someone else gets their blood drawn. The majority of the education required to become a CLS are science classes. They are required to take courses in chemistry, biology, and mathematics before moving onto clinical courses which focus on the different laboratory tests. By the end of their education, they not only have to know what the different tests are, but also what the results mean and how to tell if there is a discrepancy with the results.

Laboratory testing today is highly automated, so they also need to be able to operate, maintain, and diagnose basic problems with the instrumentation. While some testing is still done manually, most of it is putting specimens on, pushing some buttons, and then analyzing the results. The automation allows the scientists to spend more time looking at the results to ensure that they are accurate and make sense.

Part of making sure that they are releasing high quality results is regularly running and analyzing Quality Control Testing. When the quality control tests do not provide the expected results, usually it means that there is a problem with the instrument or the reagents, and it is up to the technologist to determine what the problem is and how to fix it. Problem solving skills are some of the most important skills for a CLS to have.

Future posts will cover the specifics on how to become a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, what types of tests are performed in the various departments, where the job opportunities are, and important resources for those who are on the path to become a Clinical Laboratory Scientist.