Cytology Supervisor

There are two main aspects to the job of a Cytology Supervisor. Cytology Supervisors are part Biologist, studying the structure and function of cells, and part Supervisor, managing a team of Cytologists and Cytotechnologists. The work you oversee as a Cytology Supervisor is especially beneficial to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers, but it can also be used in a variety of sciences, like those related to animal or plant cells. You may work in a hospital, clinic, or research laboratory.

While you oversee the splicing of cells, you also spearhead projects and direct the research your lab does. Apart from Cytologists and Cytotechnologists (who specialize in the area of cancer studies), you also work with Pathologists and perhaps Physicians. While the Cytologists you supervise have their heads bent over microscopes and buried in science textbooks, you manage the entire project, carefully maintaining the organization and smooth flow of the work. You’re also responsible for leading your team to a timely—and budget-friendly—outcome.

Keeping things on schedule is a huge part of the project-based work you do. Therefore, it is up to you to make sure that your team stays structured and focused. Your daily work involves a lot of paperwork, meetings, and filing of reports, as well as a turn or two at the microscope—no reason to let your own cytology skills get rusty.

The work you do plays a huge role in the effort to find new diseases and, more importantly, their cures. Your encyclopedic knowledge of cell structures, growth, division, and coloring, combined with your sharp management skills, could very well lead you and your team to the discovery of a new medical breakthrough.