Behind the diagnosis is a clinical laboratory scientist

By Ronnie Woodward

Clinical laboratory scientists are in demand in the workforce, and East Carolina University is trying to help fill the void by developing proficient, motivated, innovative and prepared graduates who are ready to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

As senior Aubrey Cagle described, laboratory science is an essential part of patient care.

“Think about every time you go to the doctor and get your blood drawn, or you give a sample for anything, somebody looks at that,” said Cagle, a Pinehurst native on track to graduate from ECU in May 2027 with a Bachelor of Science in clinical laboratory science. “When you check your patient portal and there’s all kinds of results in it, a clinical laboratory scientist or somebody in the lab looked at it and is the reason why you get all that information. Doctors, without us, can’t guide a diagnosis.”

The 2024 American Society for Clinical Pathology Vacancy Survey revealed the South Central Atlantic Region, which includes North Carolina, had the highest percentage of vacant laboratory positions, at 19.8%.

ECU’s Department of Clinical Laboratory Science is part of the College of Health and Human Sciences, which launched July 1, 2026, as a large, health-focused college with a charge to improve holistic health and well-being for people and to strengthen the communities it serves.

Learning in ECU’s clinical laboratory science spaces supports that charge by preparing students for a profession that often works “behind the scenes,” but plays a critical role in patient outcomes and care. Most years, ECU graduates who seek employment have a 100% job placement rate. Many of them secure employment prior to graduation.

“It is a very unseen, overlooked career base, which gives me the motivation to get out there and to help this program grow,” said Gabrielle Rinaldi, a dual degree student in biology and clinical laboratory science. “It’s a small community, whether you’re in a hospital or a lab, and it all wraps back around to patient-centered care. It’s the underlying people and always being there to help someone. That’s really the motivation, to help people every single day.”

ECU’s clinical laboratory science students can be successful thanks to a strong foundation in biology and chemistry. Graduates are eligible to take nationally recognized certification examinations.

While developing the skills they need to succeed professionally, students envision the impact they can make in local and rural communities. 

“I would describe it as a scientist who can do a little bit of everything,” Rinaldi said. “We don’t only work on blood, we don’t only work on fluids or saliva. It’s hands-on, active, fast-paced. You can go so many different ways, because there’s research and patient care and other ways to go with it, but in the midst of it all, we are all helping and leading to the proper diagnosis to help any single patient.”

Students are appreciative of the collaborative and hands-on learning they experience at ECU, preparing them for situations and challenges they might face in their careers.

“We work with others a lot and they will move our seats around and do everything they can to make us work the best we can with other people,” Cagle said. “I feel like they prepare us so that anything that is thrown at us, we know how to handle it.”