The clinical laboratory scientist performs a full range of laboratory tests from simple cholesterol screenings to more complex tests to uncover diseases such as AIDS, diabetes and cancer. The clinical laboratory scientist is also responsible for confirming the accuracy of test results and reporting laboratory findings to the pathologist and the patient's physician.

Clinical laboratory scientists work quickly and carefully. They hold life and death in their hands because the information they give to the doctor influences the medical treatment that a patient receives.

The clinical laboratory scientist works with microscopes, complex electronic equipment, computers and precision instruments.