A-183 Examination of the Roles and Responsibilities of Clinical Chemists as Determined by an International Peer Response-Based Survey
Authors: Nottingham C , Crews B , Li Y , Dokouhaki P , Wu F , Zhao Z , Gherasim C 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Doctoral-level clinical chemists (also termed clinical biochemists) have unique, broad roles in laboratory medicine spanning numerous clinical specialties. However, the full scope of responsibilities for a clinical chemist is not well understood, and institutional recognition and support varies. We sought to better understand the roles and responsibilities of practicing clinical chemists through distribution of an online survey designed to examine work-related responsibilities and other key factors related to job satisfaction. Survey results demonstrate the value of clinical chemists and can be used to promote parity within the profession.

Methods
Survey data was collected for 5 weeks from 10/10/2022-11/14/2022. The survey was targeted towards individuals holding doctoral level degrees (MD, PhD or MD/PhD), and consisted of 41 questions related to demographics, compensation, duties/responsibilities, and institutional support. Data analysis focused on responses from full-time clinical chemists located in the US and Canada (n=223/298 total respondents).

Results
Survey responses included male (n=109) and female (n=109) clinicians from all career stages (early &lt;10y, n=101; mid 10-20y, n=63; late &gt;20y, n=59). Clinical chemistry was the primary specialty reported (69%), followed by clinical pathology (16%), with 55% of responses reporting more than one specialty of practice, most often toxicology (21%). Multiple institution types (academic, community, reference laboratory, other) and academic career tracks (clinical, education, research, other) were represented; Most respondents were based in an academic hospital laboratory (n=131/223). Self-reported daily working hours varied by gender, years in practice, job duties and institutional setting; Females reported working more hours than males, working hours increased with years in practice, and the academic hospital setting reported the longest working hours, as did those on an ‘Education’ track. Responsibilities were quantified based on time spent per week; Clinical service represented the greatest time spent per week (majority result, 20-40h/week), followed by administrative (1-20h/week), research (&lt;1-10h/week), teaching (&lt;1-10h/week) and CE (&lt;1-10h/week) duties. Support for clinical responsibilities was assessed further; 69% of respondents felt they had adequate time to perform clinical responsibilities, 55% reported access to adequate resources to perform clinical responsibilities and 51% reported feeling ‘Moderately’ or ‘Very’ stressed by clinical workload assignment. Top reasons for feeling overwhelmed included ‘Understaffing or inadequate support staff’ (n=113 responses), ‘Increased volume of work or caseload’ (n=73 responses) and ‘Lack of IT support to make necessary changes/improvements’ (n=70 responses). Resource quality was individually rated; Medical technologists, research technologists/scientists, LIS support and research support received a ‘Less than adequate’ rating by the majority of respondents, while compensation, administrative support and equipment received majority ‘Adequate’ ratings.

Conclusions
Clinical chemists work in a wide range of healthcare settings with unique career tracks, although the majority of work hours are devoted to provision of clinical service regardless of role definition. Most or all prioritize clinical work due to limited resources, which can limit research time and academic contributions. Clinical responsibilities are tied to feelings of stress and overwhelm in more than half of the survey population and could be reduced with improved quality and/or quantity of staff support.