Pathology

Clinical Genetic Molecular Biologist Scientist (CGMBS) Program

Clinical Genetic Molecular Biologist Scientist (CGMBS) Program

The UCLA Center for the Health Sciences was established in 1954 as an adjunct to the then newly formed UCLA School of Medicine.  The Hospital has grown to become a large complex of facilities that includes the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and its outpatient clinics, Neuropsychiatric Institute, Jules Stein Eye Institute, Marion Davies Children's Center, the Brain Research Institute, the Gonda Center, a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week Level 1 Trauma Service Emergency Room and a 250-bed community-based facility at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital.

The Westwood Hospital complex is located on the south border of the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles and is adjacent to the community of Westwood.  The Santa Monica Hospital complex is located off Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.

The Clinical Laboratories serve the entire health system complex and are abundantly equipped for both automated and manual methodologies. The Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories are located inside the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences Building, across the street from the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. 

Training Program

The Limited License Training Programs are under the jurisdiction of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and are part of the Allied Health Training Programs of UCLA Health.  The content and educational emphasis of the program is directed by the section faculty.  The training programs are approved by the California Department of Public Health and include practical laboratory experience and educational lectures given by directors of the division, consultants, and experienced technologists.

The primary goal of this program is to train qualified individuals for eligibility and licensure as Clinical Genetic Molecular Biologist Scientists (CGMBS) by the State of California.  Qualified individuals who successfully complete this program will be prepared for written examination in the limited license specialty as administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathologists [ASCP Website] and Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations, section 1031.3.

We provide scientific background, individual training and supervised performance of laboratory tests.  Interpretation and troubleshooting skills are emphasized, followed by competency evaluation and documentation.  The laboratory experience and educational lectures are supplemented by self-instructional study materials.

Trainees are committed to training for 40 hours per week for 52 weeks as outlined in the training schedule. Practical laboratory training involves rotation through the following sections:

  • DNA/RNA Nucleic Acid Isolation Techniques
  • Fragment Analysis
  • PCR and Gel Electrophoresis
  • Sanger Sequencing
  • Real Time PCR
  • Custom Mutation Analysis
  • Chromosomal Microarray and Analysis
  • NGS Library Preparation and Sequencing
  • Result/Data Entry
  • Quality Assurance/Quality Control
  • Principles of Molecular Diagnostics

A teaching coordinator in each rotation will be assigned and evaluate the trainee’s performance and capabilities. Failure to maintain an acceptable standard of performance of 80% may result in dismissal.

Limited License trainees are employed under a 1-year contract as a Hospital Laboratory Technician and receive all benefits as a UCLA employee. 

Selection for this position will be based solely on merit, without discrimination for non-merit reasons such as race, color, religion, sex, national origin, politics, sexual orientation, age or membership or non-membership in an employee organization.

Application

Trainee positions open every year in January for the same year start of the program in June. Positions are listed as Hospital Laboratory Technician (HLT) on the UCLA Health Careers website.

  1. Candidates should apply online to the HLT job requisition and complete the application. *The job requisition will be closed once positions are filled. 
  2. Selected candidates will be notified for interviews. 
  3. After interview and before an offer can be made, candidates will need to submit the following documents:
    1. Official Transcripts: documentation of baccalaureate or higher degree in biological science, chemistry or related clinical laboratory science with 30 semester (45 quarter) hours of biology, chemistry and/or medical science.
    2. Letters of reference.
    3. A valid Clinical Genetic Molecular Biologist Scientist (CGMBS) Trainee License issued by the California Department of Health Services Laboratory Field Services (CHSLFS) prior to the start of the program.  The online application for the CGMBS Trainee license is available on the DHSLFS website.

Foreign transcripts need to be evaluated by current Members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), and "Endorsed Members" of the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE). Evaluations completed before August 15, 2016 will only be accepted if completed by AACRAO. Please use the links below to view the "Current" and "Endorsed" members of  NACES and AICE.   

Contacts

Helen Jin, PhD 
Manager, UCLA Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories
Email

Kathlynne Bergado
Administrative Officer, UCLA Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories
Email