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Clinical Laboratory Scientist Outcomes & Career Options
Clinical Laboratory scientists supervise or perform laboratory tests that aid the physician in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient’s disease. They have a variety of tasks including: microscopically examine blood, tissue, and other body substances; make cultures of body fluids or tissue samples to determine the presence of bacteria, fungi, parasites, or other micro-organisms; analyze samples for chemical content or reaction; and determine blood glucose or cholesterol levels. Clinical laboratory scientist also type and cross-match blood samples for transfusions.
Educational Qualifications
Job Outlook
Clinical, biomedical, and industrial laboratories are having a hard time filing positions. A bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science more than qualifies individuals to work in any of these areas, and medical facilities are actively recruiting qualified graduates. The Clinical Laboratory Science program also has an intense clinical component, and provides an excellent preparation for Medical, Dental or Pharmacy school.
Entering Salary
The median annual wage for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians was $60,780 in May 2023. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,770, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $93,900.
In May 2023, the median annual wages for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Outpatient care centers $67,590
- General medical and surgical hospitals; state, local, and private $64,680
- Junior colleges, colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private $58,290
- Medical and diagnostic laboratories $58,140
- Offices of physicians $51,870
Partial information in this page was retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/clinical-laaboratory-technologists-and-technicians.htm (visited April 17, 2024).