CLINICAL LAB SCIENEC

18
ESSENTIALS OF CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
Table 1-2 Comparison of NCA Certification Categories and Equivalent
ASCP Categories
NCA Designation
CLS, clinical laboratory scientist
CLT, clinical laboratory technician
CLSp, clinical laboratory specialist
CLSup, clinical laboratory supervisor
CLPlb, clinical laboratory phlebotomist
ASCP Designation
MT, medical technologist
MLT, medical laboratory technician
S, specialist
DLM, diplomate in laboratory management
PBT, phlebotomy technician
Issues Related to Licensure
Professional credentialing agencies and state governments may differ in the standards
required for laboratory workers. In extreme cases, some authorities question
whether any standards at all are needed that lead to any sort of certification.
Laboratory professionals who are aware of the importance of educational and
performance standards do not subscribe to this sentiment, which is espoused
mostly by administrative personnel. Obstacles to “defining” professionals that
are either real or perceived abound. There is a school of thought by some laboratory
managers and directors that no educational and training standards are
necessary. The contention is that technology has provided the means by which
to perform sophisticated procedures merely by manipulating equipment, and
the operators need no professional level of knowledge or credentialing. Individual
perceptions even by some candidates entering the profession of laboratory
medicine obscure their view of the value of academic and theoretical knowledge
provided by educational programs. This group may include some state government
officials who, instead of developing a body of knowledge, focus solely on
the practical, hands-on skills, but this view is not as prevalent today as it was in
the past. Some of the concerns of employers with health care facilities and others
regarding certification are as follows (NAACLS, 2008):
• Fear of increasing salaries and thereby increasing costs of operation
• Perception of utilization of overqualified personnel
• Perception that minimally skilled persons can run tests by merely
“pushing buttons”
• Fear of upsetting salary and wage schedule for other health care
professionals
• Lack of understanding of laboratory functions and personnel
qualification levels and responsibilities
• Threat of licensure as contributing to loss of control
• Belief that a qualified medical director can oversee laboratory operations
and therefore more-skilled and higher-level personnel are not needed
• Fear of encroachment on physicians’ turf by more highly educated
workers
As laboratory procedures became more important in making a diagnosis, the
laboratory professionals seized the initiative and began to take basic steps to
ensure competency of laboratory technical personnel, with some efforts beginning
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