In a hospital or clinic laboratory, a clinical laboratory scientist works. His or her job entails gathering, testing, and analyzing patient samples in order to diagnose and treat disease. A clinical laboratory scientist, also known as a clinical lab tech or medical tech, performs tests ordered doctors in order to provide information about a patient’s health. This information is used doctors to diagnose, prevent, and treat disease.
Clinical lab scientists frequently perform tests on blood and bodily fluids using advanced biomedical techniques, instrumentation, and computers. Microscopes, for example, are used clinical lab scientists to examine and identify various cell types. Diagnostic kits are also used to detect chemicals in the blood. Maintaining safe conditions in an environment where blood and other body fluids are present necessitates excellent sterile technique and manual dexterity. A clinical lab scientist also has access to sensitive medical information, which he or she is required to keep private.
Determine the amount of cholesterol in a patient’s blood sample, check for changes in the appearance of cervical cells, detect drugs of abuse in the bloodstream, or detect bacteria in urine are examples of the types of tests a clinical lab scientist may perform. These tests are crucial for detecting drug abuse as well as diagnosing and treating heart disease, cervical cancer, and bladder infections. For the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of many diseases and disorders, accurate lab tests are essential. A laboratory is, without a doubt, an essential component of modern hospitals and clinics.
Clinical laboratory technicians complete an Associates degree or certificate program in clinical laboratory science that focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of the field. A clinical laboratory scientist can become certified after earning a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited clinical laboratory science program. A Baccalaureate degree program will provide more in-depth training than a technician program, as well as management and education classes. Clinical laboratory science degree programs are common at universities with academic medical centers.
The term clinical laboratory scientist does not usually refer to a scientist with a Ph.D. or M.D. who conducts clinical research. Clinical research entails the use of patients in academic research to investigate health and medical issues. Clinical research can take place in a laboratory or a clinic, but not in a hospital lab, which is where a clinical laboratory scientist works. A hospital lab’s primary function is to perform tests on samples collected from hospital patients.