What does a clinical laboratory manager do?
A clinical laboratory manager supervises the work of laboratory technicians and scientists. Clinical laboratory managers develop safety policies of laboratories in line with the international accreditation standards. They oversee administrative and budgetary responsibilities. It is their responsibility to purchase laboratory supplies or prepare ordering lists. They ensure that the employees follow the standards and regulations set by the industry. The managers need to develop include knowledge in solving technical problems, time management, and maintain technical equipment.
Clinical laboratory manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical laboratory manager resumes:
- Lead and guide in developing quality improvement programs to continue delivering high quality services to physician and patients.
- Set up forensic DNA laboratory, train laboratory technicians in advance molecular techniques, and manage day-to-day activities of forensic DNA laboratory
- Maintain LIS software updates for CPT procedure codes and ICD-9 coding.
- Integrate an LIS system into the laboratory environment.
- Facilitate testing of clinical trial samples in the CLIA lab for test waiting FDA clearance.
- Set up auto-calculations for calculate results) and a patient means program as an additional QC.
- Supervise patients and subordinate staff member.
- Serve as a bioengineer specializing in microbiology.
- Handle quarterly CLIA requirements of facility equipment in the laboratory setting.
- Perform routine laboratory testing in chemistry, hematology and urinalysis departments.
- Plan and implement the re-centralization of phlebotomy services responsibilities back to the laboratory.
- Perform analyzer maintenance and run day-to-day technical production including hematology, chemistry and radioimmunoassay (RIA).
- Coordinate nutritional care for outsource rehabilitation and respiratory rehabilitation satellite units.
- Implement policies / procedures for safety / risk management, infection control & HIPAA readiness.
- Help in troubleshooting difficult PCR amplifications.
Clinical laboratory manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Clinical Laboratory Managers are proficient in CLIA, Patients, and Test Results. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Technical skills.
We break down the percentage of Clinical Laboratory Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CLIA, 10%
Experienced in a high-throughput sequencing environment (CAP and CLIA regulations) and experience with next-generation sequencing and data analysis
- Patients, 9%
Led and guided in developing quality improvement programs to continue delivering high quality services to physician and patients.
- Test Results, 8%
Demonstrated the ability to communicate test results effectively with physicians, pathologists and nursing staff as a member of interdisciplinary team.
- Hematology, 7%
Participated in Process Improvement teams for Hematology, Chemistry, and Registration.
- Microbiology, 7%
Served as a bioengineer specializing in microbiology.
- Customer Service, 6%
Handled proficiency testing, regulatory compliance and customer service.
Most clinical laboratory managers use their skills in "clia," "patients," and "test results" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential clinical laboratory manager responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a clinical laboratory manager to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." Clinical laboratory managers often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "invited by fda to discuss voluntary genomic data submissions; helped to establish format for filings. "
Detail oriented. Many clinical laboratory manager duties rely on detail oriented. "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail," so a clinical laboratory manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways clinical laboratory manager responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "prepared strategy documents in ctd format detailing responsibilities for method transfers according to global quality standards and local sops. "
Technical skills. This is an important skill for clinical laboratory managers to perform their duties. For an example of how clinical laboratory manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (ehr) systems their facility adopts." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a clinical laboratory manager: "key member of corporate operation excellence teams with responsibility for major company-wide technical process improvement and instrument standardization. ".
Leadership skills. Another crucial skill for a clinical laboratory manager to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what clinical laboratory managers relies on this skill, since "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." How this skill relates to clinical laboratory manager duties can be seen in an example from a clinical laboratory manager resume snippet: "study director: provided leadership for laboratory studies conducted under glp regulations in support of nda and phase i/ii clinical trials. "
Communication skills. Another skill commonly found on clinical laboratory manager job descriptions is "communication skills." It can come up quite often in clinical laboratory manager duties, since "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day clinical laboratory manager responsibilities: "provided solutions for product regulatory compliance and chemical hazard communication; managed intellectual property. "
The three companies that hire the most clinical laboratory managers are:
- Mission Regional Medical Center6 clinical laboratory managers jobs
- Prime Healthcare6 clinical laboratory managers jobs
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center4 clinical laboratory managers jobs
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Compare different clinical laboratory managers
Clinical laboratory manager vs. Senior research associate
A Senior Research Associate works closely with research team members to implement research ideas. They diagnose, solve system/software problems, and install application software according to research needs.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between clinical laboratory managers and senior research associate. For instance, clinical laboratory manager responsibilities require skills such as "clia," "test results," "hematology," and "microbiology." Whereas a senior research associate is skilled in "crispr," "molecular biology," "cell culture," and "flow cytometry." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Senior research associates really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $89,446. Comparatively, clinical laboratory managers tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $74,462.On average, senior research associates reach higher levels of education than clinical laboratory managers. Senior research associates are 6.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 7.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Clinical laboratory manager vs. Managed care coordinator
Managed care coordinators handle various operational and medical issues for a health care facility or insurance company. Their duties include ensuring effective communication between medical facilities, patients, and insurance companies, handling medical files and documentation requests, and communicating with physicians and other health care professionals to process referrals and authorize services. In addition, they are responsible for maintaining managed care contracts and preparing reports, and working closely with care management members to assess health needs and facilitate services.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that clinical laboratory manager responsibilities requires skills like "clia," "test results," "hematology," and "microbiology." But a managed care coordinator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "social work," "home health," "discharge planning," and "medical terminology."
Managed care coordinators may earn a lower salary than clinical laboratory managers, but managed care coordinators earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $42,132. On the other hand, clinical laboratory managers receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $74,462.In general, managed care coordinators achieve lower levels of education than clinical laboratory managers. They're 6.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 7.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical laboratory manager vs. Interim director
An interim director is responsible for supporting business operations, organizing training, as well as specific department programs for staff to maximize their productivity and improve optimal performance to meet project deliverables and achieve client satisfaction. Interim directors coordinate with the management and board executives on corporate decisions, implementing company guidelines and procedures, and identifying business opportunities to generate more revenues and profitability. They also analyze financial statements and business transactions, developing strategies to reduce expenses and minimize loss without sacrificing the organization's quality services.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a clinical laboratory manager is likely to be skilled in "clia," "patients," "test results," and "hematology," while a typical interim director is skilled in "healthcare," "patient safety," "financial management," and "bed facility."
Interim directors make a very good living in the professional industry with an average annual salary of $110,000. On the other hand, clinical laboratory managers are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $74,462.When it comes to education, interim directors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to clinical laboratory managers. In fact, they're 4.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Clinical laboratory manager vs. Nursing director
A nursing director's role is to oversee and evaluate all nurse staff in a hospital or organization, ensuring their efficiency at providing care towards patients. A nursing director's responsibilities mainly revolve around administrative tasks such as coordinating with physicians and other consultants, producing reports, conducting assessments, managing the budget and expenditures, and resolving issues. Furthermore, a nursing director must keep and maintain accurate records, ensuring all procedures adhere to the highest health standards and aligns with the hospital's policies and regulations.
Types of clinical laboratory manager
Updated January 8, 2025
