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Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Class Specifications – H.20
Senior Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist – 8936
Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist – 8937
Senior Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist – 8938
Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist – 8939
Clinical Laboratory Scientist – 8940

August 2019

Series Concept

Clinical Laboratory Scientists perform a wide variety of chemical, microscopic, and bacteriologic tests in one or more clinical fields to provide data for use in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or research of human disease; and perform other related duties as required.

Incumbents may work in the general laboratory settings of chemistry, blood banking, hematology, microbiology or immunology, or be engaged in highly technical sub- specialty areas such as enzyme assay, steroid assay, radioimmunoassay, toxicology, electrophoresis, rheumatology, tissue typing, and virology.

Clinical Laboratory Scientists perform laboratory tests by manual methods or by using various mechanical or electronic devices; perform mathematical calculations; make minor repairs on laboratory instruments; provide quality control surveillance at various levels; prepare reports and maintain records of laboratory tests conducted; investigate specific procedural modifications and unexpected test results to determine the reasons for non-conformance to established patterns; prepare patient data through manual reporting or electronic data handling; utilize knowledge of the physiological significance of test results to describe the condition that causes diseases, but not the disease itself; assist in the training of pre-and postdoctoral trainees, Scientist trainees, and various other licensed and unlicensed classes; and may supervise support staff.

Above the journey level class of Clinical Laboratory Scientist, the series is subdivided into two categories: one consisting of three classes for administrative and technical supervisory positions and the other consisting of two classes for positions requiring advanced technical expertise.

The Clinical Laboratory Scientists series is differentiated from the Hospital Laboratory Technician series by the presence of licensure requirements. It is differentiated from the Staff Research Associate series primarily by the usage of the technical data yielded. For the Clinical Laboratory Scientist series, data are used primarily for public service (patient care) and secondarily for research and teaching; whereas the converse is the case for the Staff Research Associate series.

Class Concepts

Senior Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Under direction, incumbents are assigned responsibility for all technical and administrative functions in a large unit (or a combination of smaller units) if a hospital clinical Laboratory or for a large Student Health Service laboratory. Typically such organizations have a staff of at least ten full-time-equivalent employees which normally include subordinate supervisors.

The Senior Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist interviews and selects prospective employees; reviews the work of subordinates; reviews the quality control of the various procedures performed; directs the evaluation and application of new procedures; evaluates workload, space, equipment, and staffing: assists supervisors and business officers in the preparation of the budget for the unit/units under supervision; monitors the training progress of employees and students and the orientation of new employees; and provides the business/technical services necessary for the effective operation of the unit.

Without being absolutely limiting, examples of assignments allocated to this level of difficulty and complexity are:

  • a Scientist assigned technical and administrative supervisory responsibility for a Toxicology laboratory which provides 24-hour, seven-day service with a staff of seven employees on the day shift and four on evenings, nights, and weekends.
  • a Scientist supervising the one-shift operation of d standard Hematology laboratory with two subordinate supervisors and a staff of 25.
  • a Chief Scientist in a Student Health Service employing 10 Scientists with complete and independent responsibility for all administrative/technical operations of the unit.

The class is differentiated from the Clinical Laboratory Manager by the size, complexity and organization status of the unit supervised as well as the scope of assigned technical/administrative supervisory responsibilities. This class is differentiated from the Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist by the responsibility for broad administrative supervision and the size/complexity of the unit.

Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Under general supervision, incumbents are assigned technical responsibility for a small group of Scientists performing a variety of standard and/or complex procedures or for a larger group of employees performing a lesser variety of repetitive standard procedures. Typically there is a permanent assignment of at least three full-time-equivalent Clinical Laboratory Scientist/Hospital Laboratory Technicians to the shift/unit supervised.

Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientists orient new employees; prepare work schedules and work assignments; conduct interviews and counseling; provide initial performance evaluations of subordinates; determine that work is properly completed and reported; monitor the quality control of procedures in compliance with departmental policies; keep superiors regularly informed of personnel performance or problems, schedule problems, difficulties with procedures, equipment, supplies or other daily activities; and keep subordinates appraised of procedural changes, policy changes and general information.

Without being absolutely limiting, examples of assignments allocated to this level of difficulty and complexity aye:

  • a Scientist with technical supervisory responsibility for a routine Serology sub-section of Microbiology with a staff of ten.
  • a Scientist with responsibility for a limited emergency laboratory which operates for two-shifts over seven days with a staff of four Scientists.

Senior Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist

Under direction, incumbents are the designated technical experts, consultants, or sources of knowledge within a major division of the clinic laboratory. Within the most complex technical areas, Senior Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialists develop new procedures or modify standard methodologies, collect and extrapolate data on new methodologies to develop test criteria and standard’s; instruct other laboratory personnel in the performance of new/modified procedures; instruct postdoctoral trainees in a specialty area within the division; operate the most sophisticated equipment that requires in-depth subject matter knowledge; may discuss with physicians the merits of a particular test; may suggest alternate methods of verifying test results; answer the most difficult questions; coordinate a laboratory-wide quality control effort; and assist in laboratory research and design efforts.

At least 80% of the time is spent on non-routine assignments not found at the Clinical Laboratory Scientist level.

Without being absolutely limiting, an example of an assignment allocated to this level of difficulty and complexity is:

  • a Scientist specializing in new methods of analysis in endocrine chemistry (an expertise not adequately available among present faculty or technical experts) who his regularly developed and added new methodologies to this discipline; converted a new technology into a practical laboratory procedure for measuring hormones; provided consultation to other institutions on special problems; and co-authored scientific articles.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist

Under general supervision, incumbents perform nonrepetitive technically complex procedures or tasks in a specialized area for at least 50% of the time, or perform journey level work in more than one department or functional area.

Clinical Laboratory Scientists Specialists perform nonrepetitive technically complex procedures; maintain surveillance of quality control of methodologies in use; troubleshoot errant data and equipment failures to assist Clinical Laboratory Scientists on problems they are unable to solve; and prepare and edit reports of laboratory procedures.

Without being absolutely limiting, examples of assignments allocated to this level of difficulty and complexity are:

  • in addition to regular laboratory procedures a Scientist who spends a majority of the time in the differential identification of rarely encountered organisms and assists journey level Scientists on difficult problems.
  • a night shift employee who is regularly assigned to work in both the chemistry and immunology departments.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Under supervision, incumbents perform a wide variety of repetitive technical procedures of the kind described in the series concept, or a very limited number of specialized procedures. This is the journey level class in the series where a majority of the positions are allocated; incumbents perform the full range of duties from specimen procurement through data analysis and reporting.

Minimum Qualifications

Senior Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Graduation from college with a major in an appropriate scientific field, possession of a clinical laboratory Scientist’s license or a similar license of equal or higher level issued by the State Department of Health, and three years of experience as a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Supervising Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Graduation from college with a major in an appropriate scientific field, possession of a clinical laboratory Scientist’s license or a similar license of equal or higher level issued by the State Department of Health, and two years of experience as a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Senior Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist

Graduation from college with a major in an appropriate scientific field, possession of a clinical laboratory Scientist’s license or a similar license of equal or higher level issued by the State Department of Health, four years of experience as a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist within the designated subspecialty; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist

Graduation from college with a major in an appropriate scientific field, possession of a clinical laboratory Scientist’s license or a similar license of equal or higher level issued by the State Department of Health, and two years of experience as a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of duties assigned to the position.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Graduation from college with a major in an appropriate scientific field, possession of a clinical laboratory Scientist’s license or a similar license of equal or higher level issued by the State Department of Health and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of duties assigned to the position.