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Clinical laboratory technician skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Rainer Glaser,
Jennifer Larimore Ph.D.
Clinical laboratory technician example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical clinical laboratory technician skills. We ranked the top skills for clinical laboratory technicians based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 15.6% of clinical laboratory technician resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a clinical laboratory technician needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 clinical laboratory technician skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use patients:
  • Processed and analyzed specimens to assist physicians in diagnosing leukemia and monitoring HIV/AIDS in pediatric patients.
  • Documented activities, consistently followed procedures and guidelines as well as developed relationships with patients.

2. Test Results

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use test results:
  • Investigated atypical or grossly abnormal test results and consulted with Pathologist or clinical supervisor to determine causation of discrepancies.
  • Performed preliminary setup procedures for specimens * Received, labeled, and inoculated specimens * Entered test results into database

3. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use patient care:
  • Assist patient care staff with questions regarding correct sample tube types, labeling requirements, and placing orders of blood components.
  • Answered questions from patient care staff regarding sample types, labeling requirements, ordering procedure, and order tracking.

4. Hematology

Hematology is the name of that branch of medicine that deals with all the matters pertaining to blood. The branch also deals with the treatment of blood-related diseases, predicting the outcome of developing diseases, the prevention of all such diseases, and their treatment.

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use hematology:
  • Experience working in a hospital laboratory in automated chemistry, hematology, blood bank, urinalysis, and immunology departments.
  • Collected, processed, and analyzed clinical specimens for several departments including microbiology, chemistry, hematology, and urinalysis

5. Body Fluids

Body fluid can be described as any fluid produced by a living organism e.g. human body. In the human body, the fluid can be classified into two major types according to their location: the intracellular fluid and the extracellular fluid. The extracellular fluid is located outside the cell(s) while the intracellular fluid is located within the cell(s).

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use body fluids:
  • Conduct chemical analyses of body fluids using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases.
  • Performed laboratory procedures on body fluids using complex automated and computerized instrumentation.

6. Proficiency Testing

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use proficiency testing:
  • Perform proficiency testing according to Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act.
  • Coordinated external and internal proficiency testing.

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7. QC

Quality control is a set of instructions or procedures to ensure a manufactured product or a service is up to the highest quality standards. This set of quality control criteria are either defined by the clients or the company itself.

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use qc:
  • Performed various QC procedures to maintain compliance with internal and external regulations
  • Begin daily start-up calibration and QC of automated chemical analyzers.

8. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use customer service:
  • Provided excellent customer service to Pathology department by receiving, sorting, visually analyzing specimens for acceptability.
  • Interacted with customer service department and other team members in other laboratory departments of the facility.

9. Specimen Handling

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use specimen handling:
  • Maintain proper documentation including specimen handling, labeling and preparation of worksheets.
  • Follow the laboratory's procedures for specimen handling and processing, test analyses, reporting and maintaining records of test examinations.

10. Laboratory Procedures

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use laboratory procedures:
  • Demonstrated proficiency, competency and understanding of fundamental principles of clinical laboratory procedures with minimal amount of supervision.
  • Performed data entry, basic computer operations, specimen processing, and basic laboratory procedures.

11. LIS

Libraries and Information Sciences, LIS, is the scientific and professional study of how information and information media are produced, disseminated, discovered, evaluated, selected, acquired, used, organized, maintained, and managed, either in physical or digital format. LIS careers include, but are not limited to, College Librarian, Legal Librarian, School Librarian, Data Curator, Teaching Librarian, and Emerging Technology Librarian.

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use lis:
  • Accessioned, prepared and entered documents in LIS database.
  • Translated and reported results via hospital LIS.

12. Phlebotomy

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use phlebotomy:
  • Certified Clinical Phlebotomy skills required for rotation in the clinical patient draw station laboratory.
  • Restocked and organized the laboratory and phlebotomy area to maintain high-quality service.

13. Blood Bank

A blood bank is a place where blood is gathered, stored, and preserved for later use for blood transfusion. A blood bank is also referred to a department of a hospital where blood and plasma are stored after testing it. It is also responsible for separating blood components like platelets, red blood cells and plasma from that blood and returning the remaining components to the donor.

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use blood bank:
  • Received blood banking samples and distributed to necessary locations.
  • Blood Bank: ABO and Rh testing, determination of antibody in blood, and blood components transfusions.

14. Patient Specimens

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use patient specimens:
  • Prioritized testing of multiple critical patient specimens during emergency situations.
  • Analyze patient specimens according to laboratory policies and procedures.

15. Troubleshoot

Troubleshooting is the process of analyzing and fixing any kind of problem in a system or a machine. Troubleshooting is the detailed yet quick search in the system for the main source of an issue and solving it.

Here's how clinical laboratory technicians use troubleshoot:
  • Performed client service duties to troubleshoot problems, special handling requests and status inquiries.
  • Utilize problem solving skills in order to troubleshoot equipment and determine method failures.
top-skills

What skills help Clinical Laboratory Technicians find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on clinical laboratory technician resumes?

Dr. Rainer GlaserDr. Rainer Glaser LinkedIn profile

Professor and Chair, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Chemistry competence is key, of course. As a close second, chemists need to demonstrate effective team player competence. Communication skills are essential, in conversation and in writing. Effective collaboration requires highly developed skills to work with team members, peers, and leadership.

What soft skills should all clinical laboratory technicians possess?

Jennifer Larimore Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Agnes Scott College

Teamwork, leadership, working with a diverse team.

What hard/technical skills are most important for clinical laboratory technicians?

Jennifer Larimore Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Agnes Scott College

Ability to run PCRs, ability to run gel electrophoresis, statistical analysis

What clinical laboratory technician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Gerald Bergtrom Ph.D.Gerald Bergtrom Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor of Biological Sciences (Emeritus) & Teaching & Learning Consultant, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The answers here depend on why the gap year is needed. If the need is to have an income, this would need to be balanced against other desirable needs and wishes.
- Thinking about a whole gap year, the student should make a long-term commitment to skills improvement and fill in gaps in a resume or job application.
-If the new graduate can afford it, spend some time traveling, to be exposed to different cultures and languages. If the student lives in an area with a growing LatinX population, learning some Spanish would be useful.
-If it looks like the gap year will not include activities related to the job they hope to get at the end of the year, then take at least one STEM course in their area of interest so as not to lose their edge. This could be an online course (for example, a MOOC). Do it for credit if necessary, to prove (to themselves and others) that they still love and want to succeed in science.

What type of skills will young clinical laboratory technicians need?

John Wilbur Ph.D.John Wilbur Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Practice, University of Arizona

In the short-term, testing skills like PCR and ELISA seems essential, but I think the enduring skills or working with a team, writing, and other communication skills are most important.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about clinical laboratory technician

List of clinical laboratory technician skills to add to your resume

Clinical laboratory technician skills

The most important skills for a clinical laboratory technician resume and required skills for a clinical laboratory technician to have include:

  • Patients
  • Test Results
  • Patient Care
  • Hematology
  • Body Fluids
  • Proficiency Testing
  • QC
  • Customer Service
  • Specimen Handling
  • Laboratory Procedures
  • LIS
  • Phlebotomy
  • Blood Bank
  • Patient Specimens
  • Troubleshoot
  • Specimen Collection
  • CLIA
  • Instrument Maintenance
  • OSHA
  • Stat
  • Clinical Specimens
  • Data Entry
  • QA
  • Worksheets
  • Pathogens
  • Patient Samples
  • Patient Results
  • Lab Tests
  • Standard Operating Procedure
  • Biological Specimens
  • Preventative Maintenance
  • Immunology
  • Centrifuges
  • Data Analysis
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Centrifugation
  • Laboratory Policies
  • Computer System
  • Routine Maintenance
  • Critical Values
  • Microorganisms
  • Laboratory Specimens
  • Lab Equipment
  • Blood Specimens
  • Laboratory Instruments
  • Extraction
  • Specimen Tracking

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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