Opportunities for United States Air Force Biomedical Laboratory Officers
Biomedical laboratory officers in the air force manage, supervise, and perform analyses of biologic and related materials in hospital, environmental/occupational, epidemiological, toxicology, or research and development laboratories. They also teach in medical/clinical laboratory sciences.
Generally, a biomedical laboratory officer manages a medical laboratory or one or more areas of a laboratory located in an air force clinic, small hospital, regional hospital, or medical center. Some officers are assigned to reference laboratories that specialize in performing environmental/occupational, epidemiological, and toxicological analyses. Others are assigned to organizations that are involved in medical research and development. In each instance they are responsible for the accuracy, precision, and validity of all procedures. Responsibilities include the development of new procedures, staying current in regulatory requirements and scientific developments, and updating the laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment.
Laboratory officers maintain active communications among physicians, nurses, administrators, and other officers to provide effective patient care and to enhance the capability of the medical service to support its various missions. Formal and informal continued training of medical laboratory specialists (enlisted personnel) is also expected of laboratory officers.
In 2001 there were 226 biomedical laboratory officers in the United States Air Force.
Wartime Role
Officers will be given increased responsibilities in procuring, collecting, storing, and transporting blood and blood products at the Armed Services Whole Blood Processing Laboratory, contingency blood donor centers, and Transportable Blood Transshipment Centers, and as theater blood program managers and medical treatment facilities managers. The majority of laboratory officers will be mobilized and assigned to manage laboratories in the Expeditionary Medical Support Systems plus 10 (EMED+10), and larger, up to and including the Air Force Theater Hospital. In addition some laboratory officers will operate the biological augmentation teams that have the capability to rapidly isolate and identify bio logical agents of mass effect. Other laboratory officers will be assigned to each of the hospitals projected as continental United States combat casualty treatment centers.
Selection and Specialty Qualifications
Certification/Registration
Those officers working as general laboratory officers are expected to be registered medical technologists with the Board of Registry of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP), the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA), or an equivalent certifying agency acceptable to the Air Force Surgeon General. Officers with subspecialties (advanced degree officers) are expected to seek professional recognition from civilian national certifying boards or agencies such as the American Society for Microbiology, American Association of Clinical Chemists, or subspecialty certification through the proper medical laboratory certifying agency.
Experience
A minimum of twenty-four months of experience is mandatory in biomedical laboratory assignments and is required for designation as a fully qualified biomedical laboratory officer.
Pay/Rank
Entry-level pay grade is based on a formula offering credit for advanced degree, certification, and work experience. For example, a new officer who possesses a baccalaureate degree and certification but without work experience would enter the service as a second lieutenant. A new officer with a doctoral degree and no certification or work experience may enter the service as a captain. In addition to salary, health care professionals receive tax-free food and housing allowances, as well as bonuses for signing on with the air force. Benefit packages are generous, and include thirty-day paid leave each year.
Career Advancement and Enhancement
Several avenues for career advancement and enhancement are available to the biomedical laboratory officer.
- Continuing medical education (CME), Officers are expected to have twenty hours of CME each year. Some CME is available to laboratory officers at their assigned medical treatment facilities. Professional laboratory societies on the local, state, and national levels provide meetings periodically for continuing medical education. Usually the laboratory officer is funded by the hospital once per year for national society meetings. Laboratory officers who present scientific papers or posters are usually funded each year to attend the annual meeting of the Society of Armed Forces Medical Laboratory Scientists, at which the opportunity exists to obtain additional continuing education.
- Tuition assistance for attendance to off-duty education courses (attendance at night classes in pursuit of a Master of Business Administration). These courses are often provided on-base as extension courses through local universities.
- Air Force Institute of Technology Graduate Education Programs. Based on air force requirements, laboratory officers are selected to attend various civilian institutions for graduate education.
- Officers are selected annually for fellowships in blood banking, quality assurance, advanced laboratory management, and medical readiness. (The number selected is based on the requirements of the air force.)
- Formal professional military education (PME) courses pre pare officers for advancement within the military. In addition PME prepares officers who desire to branch out of the laboratory to enter positions commonly held by administrative personnel in civilian health care facilities.
- Opportunities for advancement in laboratory management, laboratory education, and specialties (including research) can all be incorporated into the biomedical laboratory officers’ career program.
Air force enlisted laboratory technicians (equivalent to medical laboratory technicians) complete a fifty-three-week course in the laboratory sciences. The title of the course is Medical Laboratory Specialist. It is divided into two segments referred to as phase I and phase II. Provisions are available for proficiency advancement through these courses.
The medical laboratory specialist (phase I) course is seventeen weeks in length. This course is located at the School of Health Care Sciences, Sheppard APB, Texas. The course encompasses basic theory and skills, collection, preparation, and analysis of biological flu ids and other substances by standard procedures used in medical laboratories to aid in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. The emphasis is on routine methodologies employed in the fields of urinalysis, hematology, blood banking, immunology, clinical chemistry, bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, medical laboratory automated data processing, and workload reporting. Three days of this course are designated for "basic medical readiness."
The medical laboratory specialist (phase II) course is a thirty-six-week course. This course is laboratory-based at several air force medical facilities. Its emphasis is on the fundamental techniques used in a medical laboratory. Students develop an understanding of routine laboratory procedures and are trained to perform basic laboratory tests with a minimum of supervision. In addition they gain knowledge of medical subjects to the extent necessary for their effective performance as medical laboratory specialists. The mode of instruction for these courses is formal lectures and laboratory (performance) experience.
Educational opportunities available to enlisted members of the air force include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Community College of the Air Force. This community college offers an associate degree for many of the air force specialties.
- Tuition assistance. Assistance is provided to offset the cost of attending off-duty education courses in pursuit of college-level degrees.
- GI Bill. This is provided to offset the cost of college education.
- Professional military education. This is provided to enhance both personnel retention and advancement.
- Eligibility to apply for commissioning as an Air Force Bio medical Laboratory Officer with a bachelor s degree and appropriate laboratory science certification.
Opportunities for United States Army Clinical Laboratory Officers
Commissioned clinical laboratory officers in the U.S. Army manage hospital and clinic laboratories in fixed and field medical treatment facilities in both peacetime and during war. They provide blood, logistical services, and scientific analysis of biologic and related materials in hospital or research laboratories. They also teach in the medical and clinical laboratory sciences.
Generally, an entry-level clinical laboratory officer (clinical laboratory scientist or medical technologist) does not work as a staff technologist, as is the case for many nonmilitary medical technologists. Entry-level duties start at the basic supervisor/manager level. Depending upon the size and complexity of the laboratory to which assigned, the army laboratory officer may function as a section super visor in a large medical center, as an assistant laboratory manager in a medium-sized community hospital, as a laboratory manager in a small clinic, or as a platoon leader in a medical logistics battalion responsible for collection, storage, and processing of blood.
Clinical laboratory officers are responsible for the overall management of laboratories and for the quality of service, accuracy, precision, and validity of all laboratory test services. Responsibilities also include the development of new procedures, updating the laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, and staying current and implementing regulatory requirements from such agencies as: the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of Clinical Laboratory Affairs (OCLA), and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) as implemented by the corresponding Department of Defense program (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Program).
Laboratory officers must maintain active communications among pathologists and relevant physicians, nurses, administrators, and other officers to provide accurate, effective, quality patient care and to enhance the capability of the medical service to support its various missions. Formal and informal continued training of medical laboratory specialists (enlisted personnel), medical laboratory technician trainees (civilian personnel), and clinical laboratory scientists/medical technologists also is expected of army clinical laboratory officers. In 2001 there were 112 clinical laboratory officers on active duty around the world with the U.S. Army An additional 48 officer positions were authorized in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Wartime Role
Clinical laboratory officers have increased responsibilities during wartime. The majority of laboratory officers are mobilized (temporarily sent to a wartime location) and assigned to manage com bat support hospital laboratories or general hospital laboratories in the combat zone or in hospital laboratories at selected overseas or U.S. sites scheduled to receive casualties. Additional officers are mobilized to support laboratory epidemiology efforts and to support the increased responsibilities for the procurement, collection, storage, transport, and delivery of blood and blood products to worldwide medical attention facilities for our use in the treatment of soldiers, sailors, and air personnel.
Selection and Specialty Qualifications
Certification/Registration
Officers selected as clinical laboratory officers are required to be registered medical technologists with the Board of Registry of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP), or as clinical laboratory scientists with the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA) or an equivalent certifying agency.
Selection of Laboratory Officers
Approximately four to six new clinical laboratory officers are brought into the active army yearly. A variety of programs supply the active army s needs. Accessioning programs include, the army s medical technology school (Clinical Laboratory Officer Course) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where outstanding Medical Service Corps officers already in the army are given an opportunity to become registered medical technologists and clinical laboratory officers. In addition there are accessioning programs through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) with educational delays, or direct commissioning of outstanding individuals into the active force. Other programs exist for recruiting clinical chemists, physiologists, and microbiologists.
Personnel interested in becoming clinical laboratory officers, either in the U.S. Army Reserve or on active duty with the U.S. Army, should contact their nearest Army Medical Department Recruiter, the ROTC department at many civilian education institutions, or the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, ATTN; RCHS-MS, 1307 Third Avenue, Fort Knox, KY 40121-2726.
Pay/Rank
Entry-level pay grade is based on a formula offering credit for advanced degrees, certification, and potentially, work experience. For example, a new officer who possesses a baccalaureate degree and certification would enter service in the army as a second lieu tenant. A new officer with a master’s degree may enter as a first lieutenant, while an officer with an acceptable doctorate may enter the service as a captain.
In 2001 the starting pay for a second lieutenant ranged from $28,900 to $30,600. Promotion to first lieutenant requires eighteen months (pay range from $37,300 to $38,900). At the rank of captain (four years time-in-service), an officer's pay ranged from $49,200 to $50,600 in 2001, In addition to pay officers enjoy benefits such as a fully paid retirement system, nontaxable income for food and housing allowances, economical term-life insurance, free medical and dental care, economical child care and dependent youth programs, shopping privileges at commissaries and exchanges, and worldwide free travel benefits on a space-available basis.
The salary rates for army clinical laboratory officers are competitive with their civilian counterparts. The higher levels of compensation in the military reflects the increased levels of responsibility at an earlier age, the leadership requirements of the armed forces, and the stresses of military life (including worldwide deploy-ability, long hours without overtime, frequent family moves and potential separations, and the possibility of danger when deployed to an unfriendly country or combat zone).
Career Enhancement
In addition to the advanced civilian and military schooling already discussed, other avenues for career enhancement are available to clinical laboratory officers. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Training for enhancement of military skills. Opportunities include airborne training, air assault training, combat casualty care training, and training for the prestigious expert field medical badge.
- Continuing medical education (CME). Army officers are expected to document category I, or equivalent, CME yearly Some CME is available to laboratory officers at their assigned medical treatment facility. Professional laboratory societies on the local, state, and national levels provide meetings for continuing education. Usually each clinical laboratory officer is funded for attendance and registration fees for attending at least one national meeting per year.
- Membership in the Society of Armed Forces Medical Laboratory Scientists is afforded to clinical laboratory officers. Most officers who present scientific papers or posters at the meeting are centrally funded for attendance each year. The society gives military officers of all branches a professional organization for attainment of professional skills as a medical laboratorian.
- Tuition assistance is provided for attendance at off-duty educational courses, such as night or weekend classes for a Master s in Business Administration degree. These courses are often provided "on post" as extension courses through local universities. In most cases, out-of-state tuition charges are normally waived for members of the military.
- Formal professional military education, such as the Combined Arms Staff School, the Command and General Staff College, and the Army Management College for attainment of executive skills, are available to career officers in the army.
- Advancement in laboratory management, laboratory education, and a variety of laboratory specialties (including research) can all be incorporated into the clinical laboratory officers’ career program. Fellowships and grants may be accepted, and a Training-with-Industry program allows officers to experience firsthand skills required.
Army enlisted medical laboratory specialists and medical laboratory sergeants (equivalent to medical laboratory technicians), complete a fifty-two week course in laboratory sciences, after attending army basic training and basic combat medical training. The course, Medical Laboratory Specialist (MOS 9IK), is divided into two segments.
Phase I of the medical laboratory technician course is taught at the Academy of Health Sciences in the Army Medical Department Center and School at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. This twenty-six-week phase, located in the Department of Clinical Support Services in San Antonio, Texas, encompasses basic laboratory theory and skills, collection, preparation, and analysis of biological fluids and other substances by standard medical laboratory procedures. The emphasis is on routine methods employed in peace time and wartime hospital laboratories performing tests in urinalysis, hematology, blood banking, immunology, clinical chemistry, bacteriology, and automated data processing.
Phase II of the medical laboratory technician course is a twenty-six-week hands-on clinical rotation that is laboratory-based at several army medical treatment facilities throughout the United States, including Hawaii. Its emphasis is on the fundamental techniques used in a medical laboratory. Students develop proficiency in performance of routine laboratory procedures and are trained to perform moderate and high complexity laboratory tests with a minimum of supervision.
Currently there are approximately two thousand enlisted laboratory personnel assigned to units in the army active component.
Additionally there are more than fifteen hundred opportunities in the U.S. Army Reserve for assignment of medical laboratory technicians or medical laboratory sergeants. The number of enlisted students in training is dependent on projected vacancies. In 2001 approximately 560 students were scheduled to attend medical laboratory technician courses.
Educational Opportunities
Educational opportunities available to enlisted members of the U.S. Army include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Through the Army Council on Education (ACE), credit for military courses may be accepted toward degree requirements of civilian educational institutions. Methods are available for graduates of the medical laboratory specialist course to obtain an applicable associate degree.
- Tuition assistance is provided to offset the cost of attending off-duty education courses in pursuit of college-level degrees.
- The GI Bill is also provided to offset the cost of a college education. Its benefits can be used while a service member is in the service, or after completion of enlistment and release from active duty.
- Professional military education courses and correspondence courses are provided to enhance readiness, personnel growth, retention, advancement, and professional technical skills.
Following the medical laboratory technician course, graduates are assigned to a variety of units, such as: hospital laboratories, field medical units, medical logistics battalions, or research laboratories. At this point soldiers are normally classified as specialist (grade E4) with an annual salary of approximately $21,000 (2001). After three to five years, the successful laboratory specialist returns to the Academy of Health Sciences for attendance at the Basic Noncommissioned Officers (NCO) Course for Medical Laboratory Sergeants. This fifteen- to seventeen-week course qualifies NCOs to become laboratory supervisors working for laboratory managers or pathologist laboratory directors. These laboratory NCOs provide support in such laboratory areas as personnel management and time scheduling, supply procurement, budgeting, and other daily laboratory operations. Job opportunities include hospital, reference, or research laboratories; various administrative staff positions; blood platoon leadership positions; and instructorships at the Academy of Health Sciences. Additionally, outstanding enlisted medical specialists may apply to attend the one-year cytotechnology course.
Enlisted specialists may advance in rank from private (El) in basic training to the rank of sergeant major (E9) to cap an enlisted career. College graduates at the associate level, who are certified medical laboratory technicians, may also enter the enlisted laboratory field at the grade of E4 with accelerated promotion to E5 (2001 annual pay, $23,000). These graduates proceed directly to duty assignments as qualified medical laboratory specialists. Significant pay bonuses are available upon reenlistment. At the grade of E8, master sergeants earned approximately $43,600 per year in 2001, in addition to the non-pay benefits previously described for commissioned officers.
For baccalaureate-prepared graduates in biology or chemistry, direct accessions to serve as biological science assistants at the entry grade of E5 are available yearly. These assistants work in Ph.D. directed laboratories in the Medical Research and Material Command to provide research in a variety of soldier related tasks and requirements, including infectious disease research, biological or chemical warfare research, environmental medical research, rapid test kit development, malaria research, physiological research, and vaccine research.
In summary, the U.S. Army has opportunities for clinical laboratory practitioners among its officers and enlisted personnel. In addition, considerable mobility exists in the army for those interested in a career in laboratory science.
United States Navy Officer Program for Medical Technologists
Qualified medical technologists (clinical laboratory scientists) are selected to serve as commissioned officers in the United States
Navy: As a commissioned officer, these technologists serve as leaders, managers, and supervisors in state-of-the-art clinical laboratories throughout the United States and in many foreign countries. Contingency or mobilization roles are as integral members of the health care team aboard hospital ships, other navy combatant ships, or service with one of the deployed field hospitals. Additional assignments are as educators in military laboratory schools, as headquarters staff members, or as investigators in medical research facilities.
Selected applicants are normally commissioned as ensigns in the Medical Service Corps. This process is highly selective, and a successful applicant must meet the following criteria:
- baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
- certification of a one-year course of study in medical technology by a school or program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (The NAACLS program completion requirement may be waived if the applicant has at least four years of documented laboratory training or experience.)
- two years of experience in a clinical laboratory
- successful completion of a national medical technology certification examination (Board of Registry of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists or the National Credentialing Agency)
- blood bank experience (considered a plus but not required)
Opportunities and Benefits of the Navy Officer Program
Navy medical technologists are a select group of about ninety officers who provide dynamic leadership in navy clinical laboratories. As commissioned officers, these technologists are continually challenged by increasing responsibilities and have the opportunity to take on these added responsibilities much earlier in their career than their civilian counterparts. They also enjoy increased status and have a chance to work in hospitals throughout the United States and in many foreign countries.
New duty assignments are normally received every three to five years. Significant assignment variety exists as these officers are trained and ready to deploy in support of the American fighting forces. Educational opportunities also abound. These opportunities range from attendance at national professional meetings to full-time graduate education at the masters level for select officers, as well as funded and professional development leadership courses.
Annual salaries (2001 figures) began at $31,000 for a newly commissioned ensign (with more for a married officer and if located in high cost of living areas). After at least four years and two promotions, a navy lieutenant medical technologist earns between $51,000 and $57,500 a year. A navy commander having served twenty years earns approximately $82,000 annually, and a captain with twenty-six years of service earns more than $100,000. A portion of the salary is nontaxable. Career officers are eligible for retirement upon completion of their navy career. A medical technologist retiring from the navy after twenty years service earns 50 percent of base pay. The amount increases with each additional year of active duty, peaking at 75 percent after thirty years of service. A navy captain retiring after thirty years receives $65,800 annually.
Additional benefits available to the navy medical technologist and family include free medical and dental care (discounted dental care for dependents), inexpensive life insurance, shopping at military grocery and discount stores, economical child care, on-base housing in selected locations, and free overseas air travel on a space-available basis.
Further information on a career as a navy medical technologist may be obtained from a local navy recruiter or the navy specialty leader for medical technology.
