Without medical laboratories, the clinical tests required to detect and identify patient diseases couldn't be performed. Without medical laboratory technicians, there wouldn't be anyone to perform them. As integral members of the medical laboratory technician team, Medical Laboratory Specialists conduct tests on the tissue, blood and body fluids of patients.

Some of your duties as a Medical Laboratory Specialist may include:

• Perform elementary blood banking and clinical laboratory procedures in hematology, immunohematology, clinical chemistry, serology, bacteriology, parasitology and urinalysis
• Collect blood specimens by venipuncture and capillary puncture
• Pack, unpack, inspect, store and distribute blood and blood products
• Assemble, disassemble and maintain laboratory equipment

Job training for a Medical Laboratory Specialist requires nine weeks of Basic Training, where you'll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 26 weeks of Advanced Individual Training, including practice testing specimens. Some of the skills you'll learn are:

• Medical laboratory procedures
• Study of human parasites and diseases
• Laboratory administration and record keeping

Helpful attributes include:

• An interest in biology, chemistry and algebra
• An interest in scientific and technical work
• An ability to follow detailed procedures precisely

Advanced level Medical Laboratory Specialist provides guidance, supervises and trains other Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level Medical Laboratory Specialist, you may be involved in:

• Perform elementary blood banking and clinical laboratory procedures in hematology, immunohematology, clinical chemistry, serology, bacteriology, parasitology and urinalysis
• Collect blood specimens by venipuncture and capillary puncture
• Pack, unpack, inspect, store and distribute blood and blood products
• Assemble, disassemble and maintain laboratory equipment
• Supervise laboratory sections in the performance of their duties
• Perform and monitor Quality Control and Assurance

The skills you learn as a Medical Laboratory Specialist will help prepare you for a future with privately owned laboratories, hospitals, clinics or research institutions.

The certifications available to you after continued study and experience are: Medical Laboratory Technician, Cytotechnologist and Clinical Laboratory Technician. Certain restrictions apply, and specific educational criteria must be met before you can qualify for certification.

• Pharmacy Specialist (68Q)
• Optical Laboratory Specialist (68H)
• Radiology Specialist (68P)

Learn more about the relationship between military training and civilian certification requirements.