A clinical laboratory director is responsible for the overall operation and administration of the clinical laboratory. The director can delegate responsibilities to licensed supervisors, but is ultimately responsible for the following:

• Ensuring the employment of personnel who have the necessary education and experience and who are competent to perform the procedures and tasks that are assigned to them.
• Overseeing performance and reporting of accurate test results
• Verifying the laboratory's compliance with federal and state laws, rules, and regulations
• Delegating certain administrative duties to supervisors
• Being available for on-site, telephone, or e-mail consultation
• Ensuring that test methods and procedures, quality control, and verification methods provide reliable and accurate results
• Ensuring compliance with quality control and quality assurance programs
• Ensuring enrollment and active participation of the laboratory in a proficiency testing program, monitoring proficiency testing results, and implementing corrective action when necessary
• Assessing laboratory staffing needs and advising management when insufficient clinical laboratory personnel are employed
• Selecting which tests the laboratory offers and which employees may perform them
• Establishing and maintaining a patient identification system for the laboratory
• Establishing and maintaining accurate billing practices