• Experience with the workings of a clinical laboratory (number of years will be specified by each individual company)
• Problem solving skills
• Ability to interact with persons on any level, both technical and non-technical
• Communication skills

Additional education needed:

Generally these positions do not require a degree beyond the baccalaureate level. Of more importance is documented background of relevant clinical experience and people skills.

Where to look for employment:

Applicants interested in these types of positions should visit company web sites that manufacture equipment, supplies, and/or products in which they are interested (e.g. Abbott, Bayer, Beckman/Coulter, Roche, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics and others).

Employment opportunities will be listed under human resources or career opportunities. Examples of terms used to describe these types of positions include: Technical Support Specialist or Technical Service Representative.

Testimonial

"My current position is a Laboratory Specialist for Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. Without an education in CLS I would not qualify for the position I hold. My education at Weber State University provided me the foundation upon which to build my career. One of my primary responsibilities is to perform new analyzer installations. This includes more than plugging the analyzer's power cord into the electrical outlet. I perform precision and accuracy testing on every assay being used by the customer, as well as verifying that patient correlation data meets the customer's and our expectations. My education allows me to understand basic principles of statistics and differences in methodologies so as to prepare and present this data in an informative fashion to Lab Directors and Pathologists.

I feel I have gained a lot of knowledge through everyday laboratory experience. Experience is undeniably a great teacher, but my education gave me a broad set of skills and understanding upon which I was able to focus within the areas of laboratory medicine that appealed to me most."

Ron Niederhauser
Laboratory Specialist
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics