Have you ever wondered where your blood sample goes after it’s drawn?
Naturally, you are familiar with various healthcare fields, such as doctors, nurses and physician assistants. Your parents may have even tried to convince you to pursue a career in one of them. But there is a hidden side of the health care field you may not have heard much about…
Introducing a Clinical Laboratory Scientist (also known as a Medical Laboratory Scientist or Lab Technologist)!
Though they are not very well known by patients, lab results influence about 70% of healthcare decisions. A Clinical Lab Scientist’s main role is to process and examine specimens and report the results to the provider.
It started around the age of 12, when I began wondering, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I spent a lot of time exploring different career paths. I knew I was interested in science, and being a scientist sounded really cool. I had always thought you needed a PhD to become a scientist. However, after countless Google searches and YouTube videos, I stumbled upon CLS. I realized I could be a scientist in a health care setting without having to go through so many years of school, and I thought it was the perfect fit for me.
What really drew me into this profession was how hands-on it is. I really liked how you are able to get the experimental/laboratory side of chemistry while also being able to get the medical side of biology. It’s like being a chemist, but medically. There are various departments you can choose to work in, such as hematology, chemistry and blood bank. Lab scientists are also in demand, so I liked knowing that I will have job opportunities right after graduation. Even though you’re in the lab, you still have a huge impact on patient care.
Flash forward to my senior year of high school. As I was researching colleges, I realized that there are only a couple of colleges in NYC that offer a four-year CLS bachelor’s program and St. John’s was one of them. Luckily for me, it was an easy decision to make since St. John’s is close to home, and I fell in love with the campus and community.
Currently, I am in the “Intro to CLS” course that you take in your first semester, and I am really enjoying the material so far. However, I still have a few more years to go, with much to learn. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me, as well as the rest of my college career!
So, if you are on the fence about your major and are interested in working in health care, I definitely think it’s worth looking into Clinical Lab Science as a St. John’s student. :)