To work in the field of clinical chemistry your educational requirements will depend on how far you want to go in your chosen career. Clearly you will need fewer qualifications to work at assistant level than you would to become a fully qualified medical technologist. You will therefore need to decide at what level you want to enter your chosen career field before determining your educational goals.
Educational Requirements to be a Clinical Chemist
To work as an assistant in a clinical chemistry laboratory you will need to have completed secondary education, with good grades in science subjects. The role of assistant will not include any direct chemical work.
At the next level is laboratory medical technician. You will need to have an associate degree in a relevant subject such as biochemistry, which usually involves undertaking the first two years of a full degree course in a recognized third level institution.
The next level is that of laboratory medical technologist. To qualify at this level you will have to complete a 4-year bachelor’s degree course majoring in a subject relevant to the career. Your major might be in biochemistry (perhaps the most relevant) but could also be biology, zoology, microbiology and so on. Most of these degree courses will include practical clinical laboratory experience. If you already have a degree in a non-related discipline, you may be able to use that degree as credit towards your medical laboratory degree.
Further Education
Once you have achieved your qualification as a laboratory medical technologist, you can reach higher career goals by further study in your chosen field by, for example, undertaking further study towards a Master’s degree. Experience in the field and demonstrated abilities will be key to promotion. As the use of computers and chip-driven machinery continues to grow apace, your career prospects will be enhanced by learning about these technologies. Secondary skills you may find useful will be abilities in number-crunching and statistical analysis as well as business management and presentation skills.
As there is no formal training required at the assistant level, to get work in this area you will need to apply directly to clinical laboratories or employment agents specializing in that field. To become a technician or technologist, there are hundreds of college institutions offering relevant courses. You can check online or in your local library for institutions offering courses in your area.
Clinical Chemist Duties
Clinical chemists are primarily concerned with matters relating to human health and the scientific uses of chemistry in the diagnosis, analysis, treatment and prevention of human health problems. To be successful in this area you will need good analytical skills and be attentive to detail. The clinical chemist’s roles may include tasks related to:
• Analyzing tissue and fluid samples
• Design and development of new drugs
• Clinical testing of drugs
• Analyzing results of clinical tests
• Preparing sales and marketing materials for various products
• Preparing training programs for students and junior staff
• Lecturing internally and externally
• Designing and monitoring laboratory and production procedures to ensure compliance with Food and Drug Administration regulations.