Objective: To determine if the perception of clinical laboratory science (CLS), as a profession, influences career progression.
Design: A questionnaire was designed to collect information on job history including salary and positions held, reasons for leaving the field, satisfaction with the field and the perception of the field as a profession or a technical occupation.
Setting: Research facilities at the Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA.
Participants: Graduates from the CLS program of the University of Minnesota Division of Medical Technology, 1923-1996, were sent questionnaires; 1338 (70.2%) responded.
Main outcome measures: The comparison of career progression for those who perceive CLS to be a profession to those who perceive it to be a technical field.
Results: Seventy-seven percent of the respondents perceived the field to be a profession. They were 1.7 times more likely to have progressed in their careers than those who perceived CLS to be a technical field. This was reflected in the percentage achieving higher positions both currently and over the respondents' entire job history.
Conclusions: Those who perceive CLS to be a profession are more likely to progress in their career and remain in the field of CLS.