Also called: Army 68K, Navy HM-L09A, Air Force 4T0
Runs lab tests on blood and tissue to help doctors diagnose disease.
Lab techs draw blood, run analyzers, culture bacteria, and manage the blood bank. In combat hospitals they help supply 'walking blood banks.' Civilian medical lab technologists are in high demand.
Regular military compensation (RMC = base pay + housing and food allowances + their tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-6 ranks, 2026 estimate. Cash in hand is lower early on because junior troops often live in free barracks and eat in dining halls. Enlistment bonuses can add thousands.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. High school diploma, then ~1 year of lab training; many earn ASCP certification. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Medical Laboratory Science, Biology.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Medium risk for 10 years. Automated analyzers run more tests; techs handle blood bank, cultures and odd samples.
Classes: AP Biology, Chemistry, AP Statistics.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.