46 Comments

Hi, I am a physician (M.D. with california medical license, amd I have completed 4 years of medical residency training (combined anatomic pathology and clinical pathology – AP/CP pathology residency). I want to start working as a lab director in a regional laboratory first, but am not fully confident in understanding of what.my role as a lab director will be. Could you advise? Reply

Hi, thanks for reaching out to us! I am passing your information along to our Lab Director team and they will be in touch soon. Please let us know here if you don’t receive a response within a week or so. Reply

Hello I am Nichole Jennings, I completed a LD application, I relized now that was the wrong one, it should of been for a Lab Tech / Supervisor, what is the next step? Reply

Hi Nichole! Was this an application you completed through us? If so, I can reach out to our recruiting team and let them know to consider you for a different position instead. Reply

I am not a doctor but I have managed/supervised a highly complexed lab for 23 years. Would I be eligible to become the director of this highly complex lab? Reply

Hi India! We’d need to know more about your qualifications and the lab in question before we could accurately answer your question. Feel free to reach out to info@lighthouselabservices.com if you’d like to speak with our Lab Director team. Reply

Hello,
I have a PhD degree and would like to understand how one get to “Be certified by an HHS-approved board”? Reply

Hi Gabriela, thanks for your question. There are a number of boards approved by HHS for providing various certification exams to qualify as a lab director. Reach out to us directly at info@lighthouselabservices.com and we’d be happy to walk you through the process! Reply

Greetings, I hold a PhD in Molecular Biology and possess clinical experience both prior to and following the completion of my doctorate (Total of 8 years). I am currently seeking guidance on the path to becoming a lab director. I kindly request your assistance in providing me with direction in this endeavor. Reply

Hi! We’d love to help you secure a lab director position that meets your qualifications. Could you please reach out to us with a CV/resume at info@lighthouselabservices.com so we can get someone on our team assigned to assist you? Reply

If the test is a simple dipstick urine test and you have a waiver, what is the Lab Director education requirements? Reply

Hi! Thanks for your question. We’ve reached out to our Lab Director team and will get back to you soon with a response. Reply

Here’s what our VP of Lab Director Services, Tara Luellen, had to say: It depends on the state. Some states have specific qualification requirements for LDs of waived testing; states that simply follow CLIA regulations for personnel (which is most states) don’t mandate specific qualifications, but you do still need to list someone as the LD. In those instances, anyone can be listed, regardless of their education or experience, but the listed LD will be the responsible party for ensuring compliance. Reply

Good morning, Following up on this question. Could a Certified Medical Assistant be listed as LD for a chiropractic facility that does dipstick UA in California? Thank you. Reply

Hi Alina,
Thanks for following up and sorry for not getting a response to you sooner. We’ve sent the question back to our LD Team and will be sure to follow up with their response. Reply

Hello,
I am a medical doctor (MD) and have helped supervise a high complexity lab for 1.5 years while our PhD has been the full lab director. We are thinking of downgrading to a moderate complexity lab rather than high complexity.
– since I have been under the PhD for high complexity lab for last 1.5 years can I serve as the lab director for the moderate complexity lab now (“Have lab training or experience of one year directing or supervising non-waived tests”) or would I still need to do an additional 20 hours of CME? Reply

Hi Lee, thanks for your question! I’ve reached out to our Lab Director Services team and will get back to you soon with a response. Some members are on vacation this week, so apologies if we take a few days to get back to you. Reply

Here’s what our LD Team had to say in response to your question: The qualifications for moderate complexity are as follows; ” Licensed MD/DO/DPM, AND certified in anatomic or clinical pathology, OR lab training or experience consisting of 1 year directing or supervising non-waived tests.” The 20 hours of CME are only applicable if the MD is not board-certified, nor do they have 1 year of directing or supervising non-waived tests. Since this person has experience supervising non-waived tests, they are qualified as a moderate-complexity lab director in most states. However, there are some states that do not recognize moderate-complexity and require all lab directors to meet high-complexity requirements. For example, California, Connecticut, and New Jersey are states in which this statement is true. So, depending on the state, this person would be qualified as a moderate complexity lab director. Reply

Hi Samuel, thanks for your question! We’ve reached out to our consulting team and will get back to you soon with a response! Reply

Here’s the response from our team: “This is a hard one to answer, as it really depends on the type of test. Some tests require review and sign-out by someone qualified as a CLIA LD, and some can be signed out by a TS. We would need more info about their specific tests, the lab’s location, and the qualifications/experience of the TS to accurately answer this question!” If you’d like to follow up for a free consultation, send us an email at info@lighthouselabservices.com. Reply

I am a medical doctor from India (MBBS) with a specialization in microbiology. I have gotten my Microbiology degree evaluated by IEE and the report was given as a US equivalent of PHD. I have also worked as a lab director for a national lab in India for more than 2 years. Based on this background, what is my best route to becoming a high complexity lab director in the US ? Reply

Hi Mohammed, Thanks for reaching out to us with your question. I’ve forwarded it to our Lab Director Team and will follow up with their response here soon! Reply

Hello! I was wondering if the MD I am looking to put as the LD (who meets all of the qualifications) has to hold a license to practice in the state in which the clinic resides. He oversees all of our research that is sent to him, but he is not physically present in the state this clinic is in. Am I able to put him as the LD on a CLIA (waived testing only), or does it have to a provider in the clinic that holds a license in that state? Thank you! Reply

Thanks for your question. We’ve reached out to our Lab Director team with this and will get back to you here soon! Reply

Here’s the response from our Lab Director team. We’ll need more info to probably answer the question, so feel free to reach out to us at info@lighthouselabservices.com for a free consultation! Response: It depends on the state; some states have specific qualification requirements for LDs of waived testing to include licensure in that state if they are an MD (CA, for example). However, most other states don’t have specific qualification requirements for an LD of waived testing. Reply

In the state of CO and in the state of NM, does a LD who is a MD have to be licensed in that specific state to be listed as the LD for a CLIA Waived testing only? Reply

Hi Michelle, thanks for your question! I’ve reached out to our Lab Director team with this and will get back to you soon with a response. Reply

Here’s the feedback from our regulatory experts: Colorado and New Mexico do not have specific qualifications or educational requirements for a Director of Waived testing. The lab must list someone in the Director’s role on the application for Waiver, but there are no specific qualifications required. As a result, anyone affiliated with the lab can serve as the Director and the lab must always have someone fulfilling this role to be compliant. Whomever is listed as the Lab Director will be responsible for ensuring the lab runs compliantly. That said, if the laboratory names an MD to be the Lab Director, it is recommended that he/she holds licensure in that state to avoid any red flags from the respective CLIA offices. Reply

Can a PhD in Health Services with an MLS (ASCP) and more than 5 years in the filed be able to be a Lab Director? Reply

Hi Sheila, thanks for your question! If you let us know what state you’re in (or where you’d like to work), I will forward the question to our Lab Director team for more info. A lot of rules are state-specific, so that information will be helpful for us. Reply

Hello. Was Sheila’s question about being a Lab Director with a PhD Health Services and MLS ASCP certification? I was wondering about this also. Thank you. Reply

Hi Shamicka, in many states, that will allow you to meet the qualifications to become a lab director, depending on the complexity of the lab. If you want to follow up with our recruiting team with some more background info, they can help you further! recruiting@lighthouselabservices.com. Reply