01H Career Guide
01H: Medical Laboratory Specialist
Career transition guide for Army Medical Laboratory Specialist (01H)
Translate Your 01H Experience Now
Get a personalized AI-powered translation of your military experience into civilian resume language.
Start Free TranslationCivilian Career Pathways
Top civilian roles for 01H veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Medical Laboratory Scientist
Skills to develop:
Research Scientist (Biology/Chemistry)
Skills to develop:
Laboratory Manager
Skills to develop:
Environmental Science Technician
Skills to develop:
Quality Control Analyst
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 01H training built — and where they transfer.
Procedural Compliance
Following strict laboratory protocols is critical for accurate and reliable research results. This role requires meticulous adherence to established procedures and regulations to ensure the integrity of scientific investigations.
The ability to consistently follow complex procedures, ensuring accuracy and minimizing errors, is transferable to highly regulated civilian industries where compliance is paramount.
Resource Optimization
Managing laboratory resources effectively, including equipment, supplies, and personnel, is crucial for successful research outcomes. This role involves optimizing the allocation of these resources to maximize productivity and minimize waste.
Effectively managing and allocating resources to achieve specific goals translates to efficient project management and cost control in various civilian settings.
Situational Awareness
Maintaining awareness of the research environment, potential hazards, and the status of experiments is essential for safety and effective problem-solving. This role demands constant vigilance and the ability to anticipate and respond to unexpected situations.
The ability to quickly assess situations, identify potential problems, and adapt plans accordingly is highly valuable in dynamic civilian workplaces that require quick thinking and adaptability.
Team Synchronization
Working effectively within a research team, coordinating tasks, and communicating findings clearly are vital for collaborative success. This role necessitates seamless integration with other team members to achieve shared objectives.
Coordinating efforts with others, ensuring everyone is on the same page, and contributing to a common goal translates to strong collaboration and teamwork skills, essential in many civilian workplaces.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Regulatory Affairs Specialist
SOC 13-1041.00You've been immersed in environments demanding strict adherence to protocols and regulations. You'll be a natural at navigating the complexities of regulatory compliance in industries like pharmaceuticals or medical devices.
Quality Assurance Manager
SOC 11-3051.00Your meticulous attention to detail and commitment to following procedures makes you an ideal candidate to ensure quality standards are met in manufacturing or other industries. You've already proven you can maintain high standards in a lab, now you can apply those skills to ensure product quality.
Data Analyst
SOC 15-2051.00You're familiar with collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data from experiments. This experience is directly transferable to data analysis roles where you can use your analytical skills to identify trends, patterns, and insights from large datasets.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Medical Laboratory Specialist Course, Fort Sam Houston, TX
Topics Covered
- •Basic Laboratory Safety and Compliance (OSHA, HIPAA)
- •Medical Terminology and Anatomy
- •Phlebotomy and Specimen Collection Techniques
- •Clinical Chemistry Analysis
- •Hematology and Coagulation Testing
- •Microbiology and Infectious Disease Diagnostics
- •Immunology and Serology Procedures
- •Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Requires knowledge of specific lab procedures, quality control, and instrumentation that may vary depending on the civilian lab setting. Study updated laboratory techniques and regulatory requirements (e.g., CLIA).
Requires detailed knowledge of clinical trial regulations (FDA, GCP), informed consent processes, and data management specific to clinical research. Focus on areas like protocol development, IRB submissions, and adverse event reporting.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Automated Hematology Analyzers (e.g., Coulter LH 750, Sysmex XE-2100) | Beckman Coulter DxH 800, Sysmex XN-Series Automated Hematology Analyzers |
| Clinical Chemistry Analyzers (e.g., Roche Cobas c701/c702, Abbott Architect c16000) | Siemens ADVIA Chemistry Systems, Thermo Scientific Indiko Plus Clinical Chemistry Analyzer |
| Microbiology Identification Systems (e.g., Vitek 2, MALDI-TOF MS) | bioMérieux VITEK MS, Bruker MALDI Biotyper |
| Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Systems (e.g., Applied Biosystems 7500, Roche LightCycler) | Thermo Fisher QuantStudio, Bio-Rad CFX96 Real-Time PCR Detection System |
| Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) (e.g., AHLTA, TMDS) | Cerner Millennium, Epic Beaker |
| Blood Bank Analyzers (e.g., Immucor Echo, Ortho Vision) | Grifols Erytra Eflexis, Bio-Rad IH-500 |
| ELISA Readers (e.g., BioTek ELx800, Molecular Devices SpectraMax) | Tecan Sunrise, PerkinElmer EnVision Multilabel Plate Reader |
Ready to Translate Your Experience?
Our AI-powered translator converts your 01H experience into ATS-optimized civilian resume language.
Translate My Resume — Free