Medical Laboratory Professionals: Who’s Who in the Lab

There are a variety of positions within a clinical laboratory, and roles are based on a career ladder of academic and technical milestones. Although terminology has changed slightly over time and may vary from location to location, the main elements to a clinical laboratory team include the laboratory director, technical and general supervisors, scientists/technologists, and technicians.

In addition, laboratories have people who manage the operations. While these professionals may not be performing tests on your samples, most have had training and experience in the technical aspects of the laboratory, and are an important element in ensuring that the laboratory runs efficiently.

The director of a clinical laboratory is usually a board-certified medical doctor, PhD scientist, or in some cases, a medical laboratory scientist. He or she must meet the requirements of CLIA, the federal law governing U.S. laboratories, and/or the College of American Pathologists (CAP), The Joint Commission (TJC), COLA, or the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) if the lab is to be accredited by one of these private organizations.

Many are pathologists, physicians who specialize in the science of identifying the nature and cause of disease and who are specially trained to interpret biopsy results, Pap tests, and other cytologic samples. If the laboratory director is not a pathologist, a consulting pathologist may be retained to provide services that require their expertise, including interpreting test results.

Regardless of the qualifications of the director, CLIA states that the director is responsible for managing overall operations within the laboratory, including maintaining the standards of agencies that inspect and accredit the lab and ensuring that all technical, clinical, and administrative functions of the lab are performed.

Pathologists are medical doctors who diagnose and characterize disease by examining a patient’s tissues, blood, and other body fluids. They are specially trained to interpret biopsy results, Pap tests, and other biological samples. Sometimes called a ‘doctor’s doctor’, pathologists work with primary care physicians as well as specialists, and use laboratory testing to identify or rule out diseases and conditions. A laboratory may employ one or more pathologists depending on the requirements of the lab.

Pathologists work in two broad areas:

• Anatomic pathology is the examination of the physical appearance and microscopic structure of tissues. Anatomic pathologists look at biopsies and organs removed at surgery (surgical pathology) as well as cells that are collected from brushings or body fluids (cytopathology). They also perform autopsies to investigate the cause of death (autopsy/forensic pathology).Some pathologists sub-specialize based on organ systems: neuropathologists (nerves/brain), renal pathologists (kidney), hematopathologists (blood and bone marrow), and dermatopathologists (skin).
• Clinical pathology deals with the measurement of chemical constituents of blood and other body fluids (clinical chemistry), analysis of blood cells (hematology), identification of microbes (microbiology/parasitology/mycology), and the collection, preparation and use of blood for transfusion (transfusion medicine). Clinical pathologists direct the laboratories that perform these tests and provide consultation to other doctors on the significance of test results.

Clinical laboratories may also have technical or general supervisors, although the position title may be different in certain organizational structures. The lab director may serve as the technical supervisor as well. The technical supervisor may be a medical doctor (MD) or doctor of osteopathy (DO) with certification in anatomic and/or clinical pathology or other specialty, depending on the area s/he is responsible for, or has qualifications that meet the standards of board certification. The technical supervisor may also be a scientist with a PhD, a Master’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree in addition to acquiring the appropriate laboratory experience(s). S/he is responsible for the technical and scientific oversight of the lab.

A general supervisor, sometimes referred to as the laboratory manager, may have the same qualifications as the technical supervisor, but an individual with a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in the sciences and appropriate experience may qualify as well. A general supervisor is responsible for oversight of the day-to-day laboratory operations as well as the personnel conducting the tests and reporting results.

These laboratory professionals are responsible for performing routine as well as highly specialized tests to diagnose and/or aid in the treatment of disease, troubleshooting (preventing and solving problems with results, specimens, or instruments), and communicating test results to the pathologist or treating health practitioner. They may examine blood or body fluid specimens under the microscope for bacteria, parasites, fungus, or cells that might indicate cancer or other diseases. They perform quality control checks, evaluate new instruments, and implement new test procedures. Scientists/Technologists also may assume managerial roles, including supervising laboratory personnel as the general and/or technical supervisor.

Many Scientists/Technologists specialize in one particular area, such as in hematology, clinical chemistry, immunology, molecular pathology, cytogenetics, microbiology, or transfusion medicine. Scientists/Technologists have a bachelor’s degree in clinical/medical laboratory science or the life sciences that included three or four years of academic course work and one year of clinical experience. Most labs require that they be certified to demonstrate their competence to conduct their job functions. Scientists/Technologists are certified by organizations such as the American Medical Technologists (AMT), the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC), or the National Registry of Microbiologists (NRM). Some states require Scientists/Technologists to obtain a license from the Department of Health or the Board of Education.

A clinical laboratory technician (CLT) or Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) performs routine tests in all areas of the clinical laboratory. Usually, CLTs/MLTs have an associate degree and have completed an accredited CLT or certificate program. CLTs/MLTs will use microscopes as well as other laboratory instrumentation and techniques to perform tests. Like Medical/Clinical Laboratory Scientists, they may specialize in certain areas of the lab, such as clinical chemistry, and may be certified by the Board of Certification or American Medical Technologists, and some states require a license.

Phlebotomists, sometimes called phlebotomy technicians, work directly with you, the patient, to draw your blood for laboratory tests using venipuncture or skin puncture. Usually, PBTs have completed high school and have received phlebotomy training, either through a program or on the job experience. Some may be certified.