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ArmyMedicalRank #27 of 101 by 4-year cost
68K

Medical Laboratory Specialist

52-week pipeline · BCT + AIT (clinical) · JBSA–Fort Sam Houston, TX
Training Pipeline
$92K
52 weeks
Annual MILPERS
$63K
E-4, 3 years service
Equipment Burden
$4K
per year (amortized)
4-Year Total Cost
$362K
DoD investment
4-Year Cost Breakdown
Training Pipeline
$92K25%
Military Personnel (MILPERS × 4yr)
$254K70%
Equipment Burden (× 4yr)
$16K4%
Training: 25% · MILPERS: 70% · Equipment: 4%= $362K
By the Numbers

Military lab specialists support both garrison healthcare and deployed medical laboratories — running blood panels that inform life-or-death treatment decisions. Civilian lab techs with ASCP certification start at $50K+.

Training Pipeline
Duration
52 weeks
Type
BCT + AIT (clinical)
Location
JBSA–Fort Sam Houston, TX
Pipeline Cost
$92K

68K AIT includes ASCP (American Society for Clinical Pathology) certification training — the gold standard for civilian medical laboratory technicians. The civilian certification process alone costs $3,000–$8,000 in exam fees.

Equipment & Annual Burden
Assigned Equipment
  • ·Hematology Analyzers
  • ·Chemistry Analyzers
  • ·Microscopy Equipment
  • ·Blood Banking Equipment
  • ·Quality Control Systems
Annual Equipment Burden
$4K/yr
Lab equipment share amortized (MTF provides equipment)
Military Personnel Cost (Annual)
Grade BenchmarkE-4, 3 years service
Base MILPERS$63K/yr
Total Annual MILPERS$63K/yr
Force Structure Context
Annual Accessions~500
Avg Career Length6 years
Annual Training Bill$46.0M
Total Force 4yr Cost$180.8M
Read 68K Reviews →← All MOS ProfilesAverage Per-Soldier Cost →
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Cost estimates derived from DoD Comptroller per-soldier analysis, RAND Corporation military personnel studies, CBO military compensation reports, service-specific training cost testimony, and published equipment unit costs. Error margin ±15%. Individual costs vary by duty station, assignment, and deployment tempo. This is Phase 3 of the Honest MOS DoD Budget Intelligence Roadmap.