The quest for professional recognition.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the progress clinical laboratory science has made toward achieving professional status.

DATA SOURCES: Books, professional journals.

STUDY SELECTION: Not applicable.

DATA EXTRACTION: Survey of literature.

DATA SYNTHESIS: Characteristics of clinical laboratory science as a profession were compared to a model of professionalization developed by Houle to assess the extent to which clinical laboratory science has acquired and refined selected attributes of a profession.

CONCLUSION

Although clinical laboratory science has attained some of the characteristics associated with a profession, several critical issues must be addressed before it can achieve full professional status and recognition.