Careers
Careers in CLS
A degree in Clinical Laboratory Science opens a window of exciting career opportunities. Our graduates can be found working as:
- Clinical laboratory generalists in hospitals, clinics or commercial laboratories.
- Clinical laboratory specialists working in areas such as microbiology, hematology, blood bank, chemistry, molecular biology/DNA, histocompatiblity, virology, immunology/serology, stem cell/bone marrow labs and flow cytometry.
- Clinical laboratory supervisors, managers, administrators and directors.
- Quality assurance/quality management specialists in hospitals or industry (e.g. pharmaceutical quality operations).
- Technical representatives, sales representatives or research and development specialists in laboratory industries.
- Clinical Research Associates (CRA) in clinical trials organizations.
- Research technologists or research supervisors/coordinators in academic medical centers.
- Laboratory information systems specialists.
- Infection control officers in hospitals or clinics.
- Educators for employee training programs or formal academic programs.
- Consultants for Physician Office Laboratories.
- Forensic scientists in governmental or commercial laboratories.
- Clinical laboratory scientists in veterinary laboratories.
“…We love the graduates from your program who now work on our team! They are excellent! Two alumni are now in leadership roles within 2-3 years of graduating from your program at UNC Chapel Hill.“
Careers in MDS
Many laboratories doing molecular testing report that they have difficulty finding adequate personnel to fill current employment positions. The number of molecular-based laboratory tests is increasing as more molecular tests are developed to detect and diagnose diseases. Our graduates can be found working as:
- Clinical laboratory specialists in hospital molecular microbiology, molecular pathology, and histocompatibility laboratories.
- Clinical laboratory specialists working in independent laboratories such as LabCorp or Quest.
- Researchers in academic medical centers.
- Employees in molecular diagnostic companies such as Q2 Solutions.
- Technical representatives, sales representatives or research and development specialists in molecular diagnostic industries.
Article: No Wrong Turns: How Clinical Laboratory Scientists Shape Careers to Match Their Passions