Certification of laboratorians: An update

More than a dozen national organizations certify clinical laboratory professionals. As regulations and job descriptions evolve, the debate over certification requirements continues.

Organizations of all kinds recognize competence in their fields by granting certificates to professionals who have met specific criteria. While a single certifying body and one set of standards is sufficient for most occupations, clinical laboratorians have more--far more. The result is that technologists are often confused about where certification is available and which certificates to pursue. This article is intended to help clarify the situation by presenting the full multiplicity of "initials" that can be earned by lab workers and by discussing several other matters pertinent to this topic.

Official certification of clinical laboratory professionals began in 1928 when the American Society of Clinical Pathologists' Board of Registry presented its first certificates to medical technologists. Since then, the number of professional organizations offering certification to phlebotomists, a variety of technologists, and other lab professionals has grown considerably (Figure I).

Through the decades, ambitious laboratorians have often been confused in choosing the credentials that would be most valuable to their careers. They have wondered which credentials best represent excellence in the field and are most widely recognized, how many certifications one person should obtain, and what requirements should make an individual eligible to receive certification. While none of these issues has been completely resolved on a national scale, individual certifying agencies have honed their requirements and philosophies with consistent internal logic. Test formats continue to change and improve. * Reaping benefits. While certification is not legally required for working in a clinical laboratory in many states, a large number of professionals opt to become certified. Passing a certification exam enables newcomers to the field and those with experience to assure employers and the public that they are adequately trained and highly qualified.

In many hiring situations, certified laboratorians have a definite competitive and monetary advantage over their noncertified colleagues. Some employers, for example, will interview only candidates holding certification--and make this clear in their classified advertisements. Employees with certification often earn higher salaries and may be promoted more quickly than those without it.

Passing a certification examination can bring personal rewards as well. Professionals gain a sense of satisfaction and achievement from answering challenging test questions correctly and earning the right to string credentials after their names on business cards, resumes, and bylines. This achievement, they say, demonstrates that they care enough about their careers to go the extra mile.

One desirable advantage of certification would be to help distribute trained lab professionals more evenly throughout the country, explains Michael Bissell, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., vice president and medical director of Nichols Institute Reference Laboratories, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. "Certification needs to buy laboratorians something," he says. "Currently certification means nothing in California. Certified individuals who want to work in the state still have to take the licensure exam, which is dissuading many of them from moving here." * Proving proficiency. Many experts in...