Clinical Laboratory Specialist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Clinical Laboratory Specialist collects and analyzes samples of body fluids, tissues, and other substances for diagnostic and research purposes. Works in a laboratory or healthcare facility. Specializes in specific types of tests including hematology, immunohematology, clinical chemistry, serology, bacteriology, parasitology and urinalysis.
Job Outlook
There were 13 Clinical Laboratory Specialist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 753 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Laboratory Technologist industry, which includes the Clinical Laboratory Specialist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Clinical Laboratory Specialist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $66,495.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $66,495.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Clinical Laboratory Specialist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $49,414.
Education and Experience
Posted Clinical Laboratory Specialist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 11.02% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 58.43% |
| Master's Degree | 13.28% |
| Doctoral Degree | 6.37% |
| Other | 21.78% |
Posted Clinical Laboratory Specialist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 47.03% |
| 3 to 5 years | 39.41% |
| 6 to 8 years | 8.05% |
| 9+ years | 5.51% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Clinical Laboratory Specialist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Quality Control (29.75%)
- Communication (27.49%)
- Research (24.04%)
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (21.51%)
- Operations (19.92%)
- Quality Assurance (17.4%)
- Customer Service (16.47%)
- Detail Oriented (15.41%)
- Organizational Skills (14.61%)
- Management (13.94%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Biology (34.52%)
- Chemistry (27.83%)
- Clinical Laboratory Science (29.46%)
- Medical Laboratory (67.26%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Health Technology (11.31%)
- Data Analysis (9.08%)
- Laboratory Procedures (10.42%)
- Surgery (8.48%)
- Laboratory Experience (15.18%)
- Coagulation (9.67%)
- Laboratory Testing (14.43%)
- Venipuncture (12.05%)
- Blood Banking (11.46%)
- Urinalysis (13.54%)
- Research Methodologies (7.44%)
- Blood Transfusions (9.38%)
- Microbiology (11.46%)
- Clinical Chemistry (11.16%)
- Biochemical Assays (10.27%)
- Hematology (20.54%)
- Pathology (10.86%)
- Laboratory Techniques (9.67%)
- Standard Operating Procedure (7.89%)
- Phlebotomy (10.12%)
- Workflow Management (12.5%)
- Laboratory Equipment (16.37%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Clinical Laboratory Science (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Clinical Laboratory Specialist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Laboratory Specialist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist
- Medical Laboratory Specialist
- Clinical Laboratory Technician
- Process Improvement Specialist
- Research Laboratory Manager
- Microbiology Specialist
- Laboratory Services Specialist
- Clinical Specialist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Medical Laboratory Scientist
- Medical Laboratory Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Technician
- Medical Technologist
- Laboratory Manager
- Microbiology Medical Technologist
- Blood Bank Technologist
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Clinical Laboratory Specialist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- University of California (73)
- Sutter Health (46)
- University of Virginia (40)
- United States Army (30)
- University Of Michigan (20)
- Baton Rouge General Medical Center (19)
- Danaher (17)
- Evergreen Technologies (16)
- University of Utah (16)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (14)
North Carolina
- Duke University (6)
- UNC Health (2)
- MWIDM (1)
- Creative Testing Solutions (1)
- Naveris (1)
- Randstad (1)
- Staff Icons (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Fundamentals of Entomology Undergraduate Certificates
- Health Physics Graduate Certificates
- Microbiology Undergraduate Certificates
- Textile Chemistry Master's Degrees
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.