CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

12
ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
Specific examples of some of these job opportunities are in government
research laboratories or pharmaceutical companies that use medical laboratorians
to produce data and compile research information for new medications
and their effects on patients. Commercial reference laboratories are commonly
used by hospital laboratories for seldom-requested tests and for special procedures
that are not economically feasible due to the time, equipment, or supplies
needed for the testing or that are beyond the abilities of the routine laboratories.
To a lesser extent, POLs (which often provide for more flexible scheduling
than hospital laboratories), state or federal crime laboratories, and the education
setting are other avenues to pursue for meaningful employment. Laboratory
professionals on all levels are gaining lucrative employment in sales for equipment
and expendable supplies, product development, training of workers to use
new equipment, and technical service departments of major manufacturers. An
increasing need for medical laboratory workers of all specialties and designations
has spurred the enrollment of greater numbers of students pursuing a laboratory
vocation in the past few years and is continuing.
Essential Tasks or Physical Requirements
What is meant by the term “essential tasks”? The National Accrediting Agency for
Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) requires a list of essential tasks from the
facilities with medical laboratory programs that a medical laboratory worker must
be able to perform to work in a clinical setting. The Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) spells out the requirements for working with persons with a disability.
It is against the law to discriminate on the basis of a physical or mental disability,
provided the person can perform the essential tasks of a position. Prospective candidates
for a degree in medical laboratory science cannot be denied entrance into a
program based on a disability. But ADA requires that the student must be informed
of the clinical work required, including tasks that may prevent the student from
completing the clinical portion of the education and training. This list must be
provided as part of the counseling for new students entering the program for either
technician or technologist training.
Certain physical traits are required to master the broad requirements of
being a laboratory professional. Good eyesight or good corrected eyesight is of
absolute necessity, and normal color vision is also required, as some test results
are dependent on colors that are produced in reactions and in the identification
of stained cells and crystals. The ability to sit at a microscope or stand
at an automated instrument, among other job requirements, may be impossible
for some persons. Overall physical health is also important because the
worker is in contact with both specimens from and sometimes works directly
with patients who have infectious diseases. A person with an immune system
deficiency would be well advised to avoid this profession for obvious reasons.
Some strength is required to handle containers of reagents and solutions as
well as to physically manipulate large pieces of equipment on occasion. Manual
dexterity is one of the physical traits that would be at the top of the list for
physical attributes.
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