What Skills Can You Gain with a Doctorate of Clinical Lab Science?
Explore the Advanced Clinical, Leadership, and Research Skills You Can Develop Through a DCLS
Laboratory testing is the foundation of the healthcare industry today, driving approximately 70% of all medical decisions. However, according to the ASCLS, diagnostic errors affect about 5 percent of adults in the United States annually, often due to incorrect test ordering or analysis.
If you are a medical laboratory scientist or technologist looking to advance your career, read on to learn how a Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS) can help you improve patient outcomes and take on meaningful leadership roles by advancing your skills in laboratory science and clinical practice.
A Doctorate of Clinical Lab Science (DCLS) degree strengthens your diagnostic and research skills, clinical and laboratory experience, as well as your collaboration, communication, and leadership; this can help you advance into leadership roles in both laboratory and medical centers.
DCLS graduates play an important role in reducing medical and diagnostic errors by collaborating directly with healthcare teams, improving healthcare quality and patient outcomes.
With a DCLS degree, you not only increase your earning potential and leadership prospects but also gain access to career opportunities in higher education, public health, policymaking, research, and diagnostic management.
What Is a Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science?
A DCLS degree is one of the highest credentials available in laboratory science. DCLS professionals work to increase laboratory efficiency, reduce diagnostic errors, and enhance overall patient care.
DCLS professionals make a significant impact in diagnostics and laboratory utilization because they close the gap between the laboratory and clinical settings. They work not only in labs, but also closely with physicians and healthcare teams to interpret clinical laboratory tests, conduct critical research, and support patients.
After graduation, most DCLS professionals take on well-compensated roles in laboratory leadership, research, academia, and advanced practice. The degree also provides a pathway to certification as a High-complexity Clinical Laboratory Director (HCLD).
What Skills Can You Gain with a Doctorate of Clinical Lab Science?
Through both lab-based courses and hands-on clinical experience, a DCLS degree will provide you with the advanced education needed to succeed in laboratory leadership roles, including building your experience in:
- Advanced laboratory and diagnostics skills
- Clinical consultation and interprofessional collaboration
- Research and data analysis
- Leadership and laboratory management
- Communication and education
1. Advanced Laboratory and Diagnostic Skills
At its core, a DCLS degree is designed to increase your practical and theoretical knowledge of clinical laboratory science and diagnostic medicine so that you can improve healthcare outcomes and diagnostic efficiency.
As a student, you will master subjects outlined by industry organizations such as the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), including:
- Pathophysiology
- Hematopathology
- Molecular diagnostics and immunology
- Advanced clinical chemistry, toxicology, and microbiology
- Infectious disease diagnostics
- Transfusion medicine
Knowledge of these subjects helps DCLS graduates to fill a critical knowledge gap in healthcare, supporting pathologists, patients, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams more effectively.
2. Clinical Consultation and Interprofessional Collaboration
Another key benefit of a DCLS degree is the opportunity to expand your professional role beyond the laboratory. Required clinical experience is a hallmark of the degree and helps you gain invaluable insight into how the lab intersects with patient care.
According to Today’s Clinical Lab, a publication that covers laboratory medicine, clinical rotation training in most DCLS programs includes:
- Visiting and evaluating patients with healthcare teams
- Starting and running diagnostic management teams
- Educating healthcare providers about lab orders and results
- Performing research to improve outcomes
By working directly with clinicians and patients, students develop consultation, collaboration, and decision-making skills that improve patient care and health outcomes.
3. Research and Data Analysis Skills
A DCLS degree will also help you grow as a researcher and data analyst. Throughout the program, you'll discover how to use informatics and statistical tools to make sense of laboratory and health data, review diagnostic procedures, and interpret test results—all with the goal of making lab work more accurate and reducing mistakes, so you can make a meaningful difference in patient care.
Beyond monitoring complex laboratory results, you'll have opportunities to design your own research projects and practice collecting and analyzing data. You'll learn to use databases to investigate real clinical questions and develop the skills to evaluate scientific literature, turning data into insights that matter to patients and healthcare teams.
4. Leadership and Laboratory Management Skills
A DCLS degree also prepares you for leadership and management roles, as job vacancies in laboratory sciences continue to rise due to high numbers of retiring professionals. You’ll learn to operate labs safely and effectively, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations, licensure boards, and accreditation agencies.
You’ll also take courses in medical laboratory leadership and build organizational and management skills in finance, human resources, ethics, and laboratory management; this will help you optimize test ordering, reduce diagnostic errors, improve cost efficiency, and successfully manage diagnostic management teams (DMTs).
5. Communication and Education Skills
Poor communication in healthcare often leads to preventable medical errors and misdiagnosis. A DCLS degree strengthens your communication and teaching skills, preparing you to lead and manage laboratory teams and collaborate effectively with medical teams and the public in clinical settings.
Additionally, the expertise and leadership skills you gain from a DCLS degree can open doors to positions in leadership, policymaking, and education. Studies show DCLS graduates have unique skills that make them highly valued as educators, especially for training and mentoring MLS students within medical laboratory science programs.
How Can DCLS Skills Support Your Career?
Whether you’re a current laboratory sciences student or already working in a medical lab, a Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS) degree will help you strengthen your knowledge, research skills, and clinical experience so you can advance into leadership roles.
With a DCLS degree, you will develop skills in clinical research, consult directly with clinicians and diverse healthcare teams, interpret test results, and improve laboratory utilization. According to The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), DCLS professionals are instrumental in improving healthcare outcomes, reducing medical errors, and strengthening collaboration among healthcare teams.
Earning your DCLS will also make you an asset in healthcare and laboratory settings, increasing your potential for leadership positions and a more competitive salary. Your expertise also opens doors in higher education, public health, policymaking, and research environments.
Build Advanced Clinical Laboratory Skills with UC Online
If you hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in medical laboratory science or a related field and want to advance your skills and career, the University of Cincinnati’s Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS) program may be the perfect fit.
Our program provides students with the clinical laboratory science education, leadership skills, research experience, and clinical training needed to achieve their professional goals and improve healthcare quality nationwide, following competencies set by organizations such as the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
In pre-accreditation status with the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), our program combines fully online coursework with three semesters of in-person clinical rotations, which can be completed at your local hospital or laboratory. This allows you to gain hands-on clinical experience without relocating.
Want to Take the First Step Toward Earning a DCLS? Contact UC for One-on-One Support
Interested in learning more about our DCLS program—or how you can start a full pathway education in laboratory science with the University of Cincinnati’s online programs? Reach out to an enrollment service advisor today to take the first step towards advancing your career.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What skills do you learn in a Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science program?
A Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science provides advanced training in laboratory and diagnostic skills, clinical consultation, collaboration, critical thinking, evidence-based decision-making, research, leadership and laboratory management, and communication.
What can you do with a Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science?
Graduates of Clinical Laboratory Science programs have many career opportunities, including roles as a High-complexity Laboratory Director, laboratory manager, clinical research scientist, medical and health services manager, professor or educator, and clinical research coordinator.
Is a DCLS a clinical doctorate?
A DCLS is a clinical doctoral degree that can be completed in as little as 3 years of full-time study, or 4-6 years part-time. While many programs offer online coursework, all programs require in-person clinical rotations, as well.
What is the difference between a DCLS and a PhD?
One of the primary differences between a PhD and a DCLS is that the DCLS focuses on teaching practical applications for interfacing directly with healthcare teams and patients through clinical rotations, bridging the gap between the laboratory and clinic. Whereas a PhD focuses primarily on producing original research and theories and does not have a clinical component.
Can a DCLS work in clinical laboratory leadership?
Many DCLS students work in clinical laboratory leadership positions—as laboratory managers, directors, and HCLDs—after completing their education.
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We offer over 130 degrees from undergraduate to doctoral programs. Each program is supported by a team of Enrollment Services Advisors (ESAs) who are here to help answer any questions you have.