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2021 Salary Survey
The 2021 Salary Survey conducted by the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine’s (formerly AACC) Society for Young Clinical Laboratorians (SYCL) was designed to capture salary and benefits data for all board-certified clinical chemists (ABB, ABCC, NRCC) working in the United States and Canada. The goal of the salary survey was to provide the findings to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) and SYCL members so they can make informed decisions while conducting job searches.
In total, 199 responses were received. However, because very few responses came from MDs and ABB and NRCC-certified individuals, only responses from PhD individuals with ABCC certification were included in the final analysis (total n=140). These individuals could be holding multiple board certifications in addition to ABCC, and were split into 133 PhD, DABCC individuals working in the U.S., and 7 PhD, DABCC individuals working in Canada.
Developed by the SYCL Survey Subcommittee:
Joe El-Khoury, PhD
Dustin Bunch, PhD
Seetharam Chittiprol, PhD
Thomas Kampfrath, PhD
Reviewed and approved by the ADLM SYCL Core Committee:
Laura Parnas, PhD, Chair
Jennifer Colby, PhD
Jessica Colon-Franco, PhD
Steven Cotten, PhD
Joe El-Khoury, PhD
Deborah French, PhD
Sarah Hackenmueller, PhD
T. Scott Isbell, PhD
Robert Nerenz, PhD
Kalen Olson, PhD
Brenda Suh-Lailam, PhD
Nicole Tolan, PhD
Navigating Employment Negotiations
Questions to Ask When Looking for a Job
The following information is intended as an aid for new and junior clinical laboratory professionals when seeking to navigate employment negotiations and should not be considered as a complete list but rather a guideline of questions to ask.
- What is the work environment: industry, academia, clinical (hospital or reference lab)
- What is the title of your supervisor? Who is responsible for your performance evaluations/promotions?
- What position is being offered? What career mobility options are there? How do you advance in the current system?
- Does the position come with an academic appointment? None, Lecturer/Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor
- What is the Salary?
- How will the salary be paid? 100% by hospital/employer, 100% by university, paid in part by grants/external funding, other
- What benefits are offered?
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Group Life Insurance
- Short-term Disability Insurance
- Long-term Disability Insurance
- Retirement Plan
- Pension Plan
- 401K or 403B (matching funds?)
- Malpractice Insurance
- Workers comp/occupational health
- Travel Insurance
- Cost of living adjustments in salary
- Other
- Bonus(es):
- Paid Vacation Days: how many weeks
- Paid Holidays: how many days
- Education and Travel Allowances: how much
- Number of Professional trip days allowed
- Board Exams (if not yet completed):
- Will the employer pay for exam fees:
- Will employer provide protected study time?
- Will employer pay for board review course(s)
- If research is expected:
- What are the publication and grant expectations?
- Will dedicated lab space be provided?
- Will lab start up funds for research be provided?
- Is there ample accessibility to clinical/basic research collaborators?
- Will research and development staff be provided?
- What is the expected workweek: 40, 50, 60 hours?
- Is weekend and Holiday coverage required?
- What are the Call duties: Weekday, weekend, and holidays?
- Is comp time offered for working weekends and/or holidays?
- Will you have human resource type responsibilities or will you have managers that will handle these aspects?
- Will they offer to help with moving and relocation costs?
- How is your time to be divided: % clinical, % development, % research, % teaching
- How can you become a contributing member of the local clinical laboratory professional community?
- Will involvement in national and local professional organizations be supported by the department (is this recognized as an important part of your job)?