various paths are available for post - baccalaureate studies in the clinical / medical laboratory sciences . advanced certifications in specialized areas of the laboratory , as well as diplomats in laboratory medicine , are offered by accredited agencies ; masters degree programs are offered by several universities . interested individuals must consider what they hope to accomplish after obtaining their advanced certification or degree before deciding on their path . a variety of agencies provide certification for laboratory professionals in the u.s.a . the american society for clinical pathology ( ascp ) , american medical technologists ( amt ) and department of health and human services ( hhs ) are agencies offering certification exams and credentials for entry level positions in the clinical laboratory as certified medical technologist / laboratory scientists . perry m. scanlan describes in detail the educational path to the generalist , baccalaureate degree and certification in medical laboratory science in another article in this issue . discipline - specific ( i.e. non - generalist ) certification can be obtained through ascp in clinical chemistry , cytogenetics , hematology , microbiology and molecular biology . however , the focus of this article will be the ascp specialty certification examinations for different laboratory disciplines and other post - baccalaureate degree options at the masters level . in order to qualify for a specialty certification exam , a minimum of a baccalaureate degree is required as well as additional specific clinical experience or education . the requirements to sit for an exam to be credentialed as a specialist in chemistry ( sc ) , specialist in microbiology ( sm ) or specialist in hematology ( sh ) are very similar.1 they require a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in the sciences from a regionally accredited university or college , or generalist certification as an mt / mls(ascp ) , or ascp certification within their particular discipline . they also require full - time acceptable clinical experience in an accredited laboratory facility in their specific discipline . at the baccalaureate level , individuals are required to have a minimum of 3 years experience , while those with a master s degree or doctorate in a related scientific discipline are required to have 2 years of the appropriate clinical experience . ( table 1 ) there is no published data as to what financial advantages there are for individuals holding these certifications ; however , it is more than likely that being certified may improve opportunities for leadership positions with the laboratory . the specialist in blood banking technology ( sbb ) certification is unique among the specialty programs . there are 4 different routes to achieving the certification as well as a number of different avenues afforded to holders of that certification . individuals with sbb certification work in different types of facilities including hospital transfusion services , community blood centers , independent laboratories , and for commercial suppliers of blood banking reagents and equipment . according to the 2010 wage and vacancy survey conducted by the ascp , the average salary for staff sbbs was $ 59,530 annually , and sbbs in supervisory roles earned an average salary of $ 71,138 annually . 2 each of these salaries was approximately 10% higher than comparable non - sbb technologists . in the us , the vacancy rate in 2012 for blood banking staff was at 7% and 6% for blood bank supervisory positions . the different routes to qualify for the sbb certification exam are listed ( table 2 ) . routes 1 and 2 require at minimum a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college / university while routes 3 and 4 require advanced degrees . route 1 requires completion of a commission on accreditation of allied health education programs ( caahep ) accredited specialist in blood banking technology program . the other 3 routes do not require completion of a program but do require specific clinical experience and completion of specific degrees . route 2 requires a mt / mls(ascp ) or bb(ascp ) certification with a baccalaureate degree and 3 years of full time acceptable clinical experience in either the us , canada or an accredited laboratory within the last ten years . route 3 requires a master s or doctorate degree from a regionally accredited college / university in an appropriately related field and 3 years of full time acceptable clinical experience in the us , canada or an accredited laboratory within the last ten years . route 4 requires a doctorate degree from a regionally accredited college / university in an appropriately related field and 2 years post - doctorate fellowship in blood banking in either the us or canada within the last ten years . there are currently 14 caahep accredited sbb programs in the us , however , the walter reed program is for us military personnel only ( table 4 ) . these programs must comply with the standards and guidelines for the accreditation of educational programs in blood bank technology / transfusion medicine as outlined by the aabb . higher pass rate on the certification exam most are open to individuals with just over 1 year of experience . each of these programs is unique in their design and offer different options to their students . a number of sbb programs provide distance learning where students are able to participate online . other programs are on - site or  face - to - face  and require the student to live in that particular city . some programs require employment at their institution while enrolled and some may offer opportunities for employment upon completion . three programs ( hoxworth , rush university and bloodcenter of wisconsin ) are affiliated with universities and students have the option to work toward their master of science degree in addition to the sbb . students accepted to the hoxworth blood center sbb program are directly enrolled in the graduate school at university of cincinnati . they offer a 5 term ( approximately 15 months ) on - site program through the college of allied health sciences . upon successful completion of the program , they are eligible to take the sbb certification exam and graduate with a master of science in transfusion and transplantation sciences5 . rush university s specialist in blood banking program utilizes a learning management system ( lms ) to deliver educational activities online . students have the option to receive graduate credit for completion of the sbb certificate program and apply those credits toward a master of science in clinical laboratory management . bloodcenter of wisconsin is affiliated with marquette university , and has additional opportunities for students unlike the other university - based options mentioned previously . like hoxworth , students immediately enroll at the university and have the option after earning 18 credits in the sbb program to apply it towards a master of science in transfusion medicine degree . the bloodcenter / marquette affiliation is unique in having three tracks of study a student can pursue : business administration , education or science . within business administration , there are 4 subspecialties  organizational behavior , materials management , finance and marketing . all courses are within the masters of business administration ( mba ) program at marquette . students who select the education track study curriculum design and learning theories and apply these concepts in instruction and knowledge assessment methods . for those wishing to further their scientific knowledge laboratory scientists who have attained certification as a specialist in blood banking ( sbb ) or are sbb - certified and hold a master of science in a related field are seen in a variety of positions . many of these examples come from post - graduate employment surveys , examples of individuals within our own organization as well as career brochures and websites . they include : quality and process improvement specialists blood bank / transfusion service leads , supervisors and managers general laboratory supervisors and managers vice - president  laboratory operations president & chief executive officers of blood centers and other organizations faculty at technical schools , colleges and universities technical specialists for commercial companies another post - baccalaureate path in the clinical laboratory is the certified pathologist s assistant . this category was first offered in 2005 and is a growing field . to qualify for the pathologist s assistant exam , one must attend a national accrediting agency for clinical laboratory sciences ( naacls ) accredited school for pathology assistants ( table 5 ) . pathologist assistants provide various services within the laboratory under the direction and supervision of a board certified or board - eligible pathologist . their scope of practice includes preparation , gross description and dissection of human tissue surgical specimens , preparation of human post - mortem examinations , as well as other duties that may be assigned from their supervising pathologist . technologists who have experience in laboratory leadership and supervision have the opportunity to be certified as a diplomat in laboratory management ( dlm ) . many of those who make the decision to become certified as a dlm have advanced degrees in business . the experience required for this certification is quite extensive ; twenty out of thirty - two eligibility requirements are needed . the requirements are in the areas of finance , marketing management , operations management and personal management ( table 6 ) besides the master of science degree programs we noted for sbbs , there are a number of universities offering graduate level programs related to the health sciences , including the clinical laboratory sciences . some programs offer curricula that emphasize leadership and management , while other programs are designed to advance scientific knowledge . additionally , there are masters level programs for individuals who hold a degree in a biologic science , but are lacking the clinical experience required for certification . these ms programs provide the opportunity to gain the required clinical courses necessary to qualify for the generalist mt / mls ( ascp ) certification exam . the list of accepted agencies for most universities as well as ascp is available on their websites . toefl and other testing scores are set by each individual school so it is important for international students to be aware of specific requirements for each university . again , each school may have their own requirements , so it is important to know what documents to include with the application . university - based or affiliated programs will generally have an international student office that can aid in the visa application process . finding your passion and directing your energies to that end can be very rewarding , in both the financial sense as well as the sense of personal pride and pleasure in the work .
opportunities to advance one s knowledge and position are available within the clinical laboratory arena . by obtaining a specialist credential in chemistry , hematology or microbiology , 
 a laboratorian has demonstrated advance knowledge and ability in their respective discipline . 
 these specialist certifications open doors within and outside the laboratory profession and may lead to promotion . 
 the specialist in blood banking credential is unique in that accredited training programs are available , some of which are affiliated with universities and graduate credit is granted for program completion . 
 other avenues available include pathologist assistants programs , diplomats in laboratory management and master of science degrees in clinical laboratory science . 
 there are a number of choices available to achieve your professional goal .