How to hire a senior medical laboratory scientist

How to hire a senior medical laboratory scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior medical laboratory scientist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior medical laboratory scientist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior medical laboratory scientist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior medical laboratory scientist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior medical laboratory scientist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior medical laboratory scientists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior medical laboratory scientists.

   Type of Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist	Medical scientists conduct research aimed at improving overall human health. They often use clinical trials and other investigative methods to reach their findings.	$22-50
   Research Fellow	A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study... Show more	$18-34
   Fellow	A fellow's responsibility will depend on the organization or industry where one belongs. However, most of the time, a fellow's duty will revolve around conducting research and analysis, presiding discussions and attending dialogues, handle lectures while complying with the guidelines or tasks set by supervisors, and assist in various projects and activities... Show more	$22-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • ASCP
   • Blood Bank
   • QC

   Responsibilities:

   • Attain extensive phlebotomy experience with a challenging pediatric patient population.
   • Review and analyze daily quality control data and takes the appropriate steps to insure quality results associate with microbiology procedures.
   • Perform CMV, CMV IgM, CMV IgG, and RPR testing.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior medical laboratory scientist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior medical laboratory scientist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, senior medical laboratory scientists' average salary in missouri is 56% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior medical laboratory scientists earn 55% less than senior-level senior medical laboratory scientists.
   • Certifications. A senior medical laboratory scientist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a senior medical laboratory scientist's salary.

   Average senior medical laboratory scientist salary

   $70,833yearly

   $34.05 hourly rate

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   Entry-level senior medical laboratory scientist salary

   $47,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a senior medical laboratory scientist job description

   A job description for a senior medical laboratory scientist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior medical laboratory scientist job description:

   Senior medical laboratory scientist job description example

   Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist, Laboratory Services provides administrative and technical skills necessary to organize, supervise, and complete various medical laboratory procedures within a section.
   ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
   
   * Responsible for recruitment, hiring, payroll, orientation, training, supervision, evaluation, competency assessment, coaching, disciplinary action and/or termination process of divisional employees.
   * Supervises the work of laboratory personnel engaged in performing routine and specialized technical procedures, including planning laboratory work, evaluating work performed and handling procedural and technical laboratory problems.
   * Acts as lead worker, supervises, directs, plans, develops, implements, evaluates, and oversees the execution of daily operations including scheduling work assignments.
   * Assists section leadership in developing protocols and procedures for the area, and reviews and updates existing procedures.
   * Responsible for ensuring that the laboratory division functions with the appropriate level of staff to guarantee an efficient operation.
   * Reviews and evaluates accuracy of lab data and reports patient results with all required documentation.
   * Assists personnel with complex procedures, exercising independent judgment and responsibility.
   * Ability to work independently within established guidelines, apply problem-solving skills, meet deadlines and meet urgent patient, provider, and system needs.
   * Assists with Quality Management activities including but not limited to evaluating quality of reported test results, quality control and equipment maintenance procedures, proficiency testing and verifying appropriate documentation is maintained and corrective actions are implemented as necessary.
   * Assists in evaluations of new tests or instruments, as assigned.
   * Maintains inventory of reagents and other supplies including ordering supplies and monitoring expenditures and providing input for budget.
   * Communicates pertinent information to staff members, management, medical directors, and other divisions.
   * Serves as a liaison between departmental staff, management, and supervisory staff.
   * Performs laboratory testing as required per division.
   * Instructs and trains students.
   * Available to cover different shifts if requested to guarantee patient care.
   * Responsible for maintaining compliance with regulatory accreditation standards.
   * Adheres to internal controls and reporting structure.
   * Adheres to all safety protocols in each laboratory area.
   
   EQUIRED EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:
   
   Bachelor's degree in a Clinical Laboratory Science or Basic Science with two (2) years related experience. Technologist level certification from either the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP), American Board of Medical Technology (AMT), or the American Board of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ABHI) or equivalent certification. Qualifies as Testing Personnel for high complexity testing under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA).
   
   PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
   
   2 or more years of experience in Blood Bank preferred.
   
   WORK SCHEDULE:
   
   Day shift. Must be willing to work other shifts when needed for coverage.
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity
   
   UTMB Health strives to provide equal opportunity employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. As a VEVRAA Federal Contractor, UTMB Health takes affirmative action to hire and advance women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
   
   Compensation

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior medical laboratory scientist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior medical laboratory scientists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior medical laboratory scientists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior medical laboratory scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit senior medical laboratory scientist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior medical laboratory scientists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior medical laboratory scientist

   Once you've selected the best senior medical laboratory scientist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior medical laboratory scientist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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