The pathology laboratory in a hospital or clinic is home to a number of skilled technologists and technicians, as well as pathologists. Medical technologists, or clinical laboratory scientists, are leaders within the laboratory. Highly trained professionals in their own right, laboratory scientists perform a variety of complex testing procedures and supervise the work of the lab's technicians. Licensure requirements vary from state to state, but typically correspond to national certification standards.
A bachelor's degree in medical technology is the most straightforward path to licensure and certification as a clinical laboratory scientist. Many schools offer medical technology majors, and graduation from an accredited program fulfils most of the requirements for certification and licensure. The program must include clinical experience, or at least one year's clinical experience must be completed separately. Regulations for state licensure vary. Certification through the American Medical Technologists, AMT, requires one year of clinical experience, while certification through the American Society for Clinical Pathology, ASCP, requires two years' experience.
Advertisement Article continues below this adAside from a medical technology degree, there are other paths to certification and licensure. The AMT will certify candidates who complement their existing baccalaureate degree with an accredited certificate program in medical technology, or who have gained at least one year's practical experience in a recognized medical laboratory. The ASCP will similarly extend certification to candidates with suitable science degrees with majors other than medical technology. The society requires either an accredited certificate program in medical technology and two to four years' clinical experience, or a baccalaureate degree and five years' clinical experience in lieu of a certificate in medical technology.
States vary widely in their regulation of laboratory science, with some requiring licensure and some not. In states requiring licensure, laboratory scientists who have graduated from an accredited program write the state's licensing examination before they can work in laboratory science. Certification through the AMT or ASCP serves a similar purpose, verifying the laboratory scientist's grasp of the subject matter and the profession's duties. States requiring licensure usually accept national certification as the equivalent, and don't require a further examination. In states with no licensure requirement, voluntary certification demonstrates a commitment to professionalism, and might be required by some employers.
Advertisement Article continues below this adIn its 2010 salary survey, the ASCP recorded an average salary of $54,412 per year for staff-level laboratory scientists, and $65,478 for supervisors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics placed the average salary at $58,120 per year. The bureau projects employment growth of 11 percent for laboratory scientists between 2010 and 2020, slightly slower than the average for all occupations. The ASCP's 2011 vacancy survey showed that many laboratories don't perform advanced molecular and genetic testing that would require laboratory scientists, enabling them to use lower-cost technicians instead. Employment prospects were best in the western United States, and in facilities with fewer than 500 beds.
Medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians earned a median annual salary of $50,240 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians earned a 25th percentile salary of $41,520, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $62,090, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 335,600 people were employed in the U.S. as medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians.