Medical Laboratory Scientist
A Medical Laboratory Scientist performs diagnostic testing on patient samples in a pathology laboratory setting to identify disease, monitor health conditions, and guide clinical treatment decisions.
What this job is
A Medical Laboratory Scientist performs diagnostic testing on patient samples in a pathology laboratory setting to identify disease, monitor health conditions, and guide clinical treatment decisions. Working within a hospital, private pathology practice, or diagnostic laboratory, they operate sophisticated analytical instruments, prepare and analyse biological specimens, and report results to clinicians. They work under NATA accreditation standards, ensuring accuracy and quality in all testing procedures.
Are employers advertising this role?
Falling, down 33.3% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Receive, log, and validate blood, urine, tissue, and body fluid samples according to laboratory information systems and pre-analytical standards. Perform haematology testing including full blood counts, coagulation studies, and blood film microscopy using automated haematology analysers. Conduct clinical chemistry analysis on serum, plasma, and urine samples using spectrophotometry and automated chemistry analysers to measure electrolytes, enzymes, proteins, and metabolites. Prepare and stain tissue sections using microtomy and histological staining techniques for microscopic examination and diagnostic interpretation. Execute immunology and serology testing including antibody detection, antigen assays, and allergy testing using ELISA, immunofluorescence, and automated immunoassay systems. Perform microbiological culture, identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial, fungal, and viral isolates. Operate, calibrate, and maintain laboratory analysers and diagnostic instruments to ensure quality assurance and accuracy. Prepare quality control materials and conduct internal and external quality assurance testing to meet NATA and laboratory accreditation standards.
Who does this now
About 21,500 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Bachelor degree or higher (ABS skill level 1)
Registration or licensing may be required.
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation were generally able to find suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
You'll need a bachelor degree in medical laboratory science or related field, which takes 3 years full-time study. The work is repetitive, accuracy-dependent, and mistakes affect real patients. You're also competing with automation that may take over more routine testing tasks over time.
Where the jobs are
In reality, most jobs are in major cities and regional hospital networks. Capital city pathology labs have the most positions. Private pathology chains like Sonic and Australian Clinical Labs operate across metro and some regional areas. Rural and remote hospitals have minimal lab roles. Remote work is not an option in this hands-on lab role.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 2346, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
Skills
- Attention to Detailcore
- Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
- Data Entry and Accuracycore
- Health Terminology Literacycore
- Incident Reportingcore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
- Record Managementcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Report Writingcore
- Research and Analysiscore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Continuous Learning and Upskilling
- Digital Literacy
- Health Record Administration
- Process Improvement Identification
- Risk Identification
- Team Collaboration
- Verbal Communication
- Workflow Prioritisation
- Written Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
What Medical Laboratory Scientist workers move into, from ten years of tax records.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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