CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

16
ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
In medical education and training, there are three levels of education and
training, all of which result in certification of individuals. The first and primary
level is that of the certificate, which is earned for a lesser level of training and
education than for those of the next two categories of certification—the diploma
and, ultimately, the college degree. Examples of the three levels of certification
most often seen are as follows:
Certified Nurse Assistant
Licensed Practical Nurse
Medical Laboratory Technician
Category of Certification
Certificate
Diploma
Associate Degree
Certification is a term, therefore, that can be ascribed to those who complete
a certificate, those who attain a diploma, and those who attain a college degree.
Other terms also apply to becoming certified. Registered nurses were once “registered,”
which indicates they appeared on a registry indicating they had met the
requirements for becoming a registered nurse. This term persists even though registered
nurses are now licensed, another form of certification. Nurses are licensed by
the states, but the states generally use the same professionally developed exam for
documenting competency as a professional nurse. Professionally developed tests are
often the same from state to state and are used to determine demonstrated knowledge,
rather than each state developing its own test. Some states require personnel
licensure of laboratory workers, while others require that the workers be registered
laboratory workers. Issues involved with becoming registered or licensed will be
explored fully in this section.
Official Regulation of Medical Laboratories and Workers
For an occupation to develop as a profession, education and training are
required. In reality, some so-called professions are actually trades that require
only technical skills with little or no educational background. It was not until
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in large part, that it was realized that
credentialing of prospective candidates was becoming necessary. It is generally
agreed that the first medical laboratory and teaching of pathology occurred at
Johns Hopkins Hospital during the late 19th century. Only relatively recently,
during the 20th century, did the growing push toward credentialing of medical
laboratory workers receive attention. Since the 1930s, when California adopted
personnel licensure laws for laboratory workers, a great deal of attention has
been focused on the clinical laboratory by both government agencies and professionals
within the field. Much of this attention was fueled in the 1950s and
1960s, when public money began to be expended for laboratory reimbursement,
causing governmental oversight to increase, and erroneous laboratory
results were brought to light. With the increasing importance of laboratory
tests, it became increasingly important to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness
of laboratory testing for health care professionals who are treating patients.
This focus led to the implementation of CLIA 67 and the final regulations,
entitled CLIA 88.
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