What's the Job Description of a Clinical Laboratory Assistant (CLA)?

<p>As a clinical laboratory assistant, you'll work with lab equipment to prepare, examine, and test various samples. In this profession, you can work in a hospital, school, pharmacy, or research facility's laboratory. You might assist with finding disease cures or evaluating environmental contaminants. You could work around infectious diseases that require you to be aware of specific safety procedures. </p> <h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutClinicalLaboratoryAssistants"> Important Facts About Clinical Laboratory Assistants</h3> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td> Required Education </td><td> Associate's degree or certificate</td></tr> <tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Physical endurance, technical savvy, attention to detail, coordination</td></tr> <tr><td> Professional Certification </td><td> Required by some states; generally preferred by employers</td></tr> <tr><td> Similar Occupations </td><td> Biological technicians, chemical technicians, materials scientists, veterinary technologists and technicians</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---PreparingSpecimensForExamination"> Preparing Specimens for Examination</h3> <p>Working as a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (CLA), you'll be responsible for preparing biological specimens, such as blood and tissues, for medical examinations. As an assistant, you generally won't perform complex medical tasks, and your work will likely be supervised by a senior lab technician. The full scope of your duties usually depends on your employer, though most CLAs help out primarily in the preparation of samples. Depending on your workplace, your preparation duties might include: </p> <ul><li>Recording information </li><li>Collecting specimens </li><li>Labeling specimens for identification </li><li>Delivering specimens to the laboratory </li></ul><p>Generally, if you work in a small laboratory, you could gain a wider range of experience. For example, in assisting a specialist, such as a phlebotomist, you'll collect and prepare blood samples for inspection. If you work as a histotechnician, you'll help prepare human tissue for analysis. </p> <h3 id="section---AnalyzingSpecimensForDisease"> Analyzing Specimens for Disease</h3> <p>If one of your tasks includes performing analyses, you might either run tests using automatic equipment or perform manual tests under close supervision and with explicit instructions. In the area of phlebotomy, you could analyze blood for infectious diseases. As a histotechnician, you might examine tissues for cancer. After cutting the tissue into pieces, you'll usually stain it with dye and analyze it under a microscope. </p> <h3 id="section---EvaluatingTestResults"> Evaluating Test Results</h3> <p>If you've performed a specimen analysis on your own, you'll draw conclusions based on your findings, usually in consultation with your supervisor and peers. In addition to reporting your findings, you'll also record the results for administrative purposes. </p> <h3 id="section---SalaryInfoAndJobOutlook"> Salary Info and Job Outlook</h3> <p>According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, <i>www.bls.gov</i>), a 7% increase in job opportunities was projected for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians from 2021-2031. The BLS reported the median annual salary earned by clinical laboratory technologists and technicians was $57,800 as of May 2021.</p>