Volume 39 Number 4 | August 2025
Summary

Medical laboratory scientists increasingly pursue nontraditional careers in education, informatics, policy, leadership, entrepreneurship, and industry. Their technical expertise positions them to innovate in healthcare, public health, and business. With roles ranging from educators to executives and entrepreneurs, MLS professionals can expand their impact while continuing to advance patient care and diagnostic excellence.

Nontraditional Career Paths for Medical Laboratory Scientists

Leah Ade, MPH, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor

Leah AdeLab professionals are breaking the mold—and the boundaries of traditional career paths. With an ever-growing demand for diagnostic expertise, data fluency, and interdisciplinary collaboration, MLS professionals are uniquely poised to lead not just in the lab, but across healthcare, education, technology, and industry.

This is the era of the nontraditional MLS career—where the bench is just the beginning.

1. The Educator: Inspiring the Next Generation

Many MLS professionals transition into education, becoming clinical instructors, professors, or program directors. With a solid foundation in hands-on technical knowledge and regulatory standards, they’re natural fits for training the workforce of tomorrow.

How to start: Consider a master’s in education, public health, or health professions education.

Pro tip: Partner with your institution’s allied health programs to guest lecture or serve on admissions or curriculum committees.

2. The Informatics Specialist: Translating Data into Action

As labs become increasingly digital, there’s a growing demand for professionals who understand both laboratory workflows and the data systems that support them. MLS professionals with an interest in analytics and software can find roles in health informatics, LIS/LIMS development, or clinical decision support.

How to start: Certification in Clinical Informatics (AMIA) or a master’s in health informatics.

Real-world application: Designing flags for critical values or automating reflex testing rules in Epic Beaker.

3. The Policy Shaper: Advocating for the Profession

Laboratory scientists are underrepresented in policy discussions, and that needs to change. MLS professionals bring evidence-based rigor to health policy, public health initiatives, and regulatory oversight. Careers in government agencies, accreditation bodies, or healthcare coalitions are natural extensions of this expertise.

How to start: Engage with advocacy through ASCLS, pursue a Master of Public Health or a PhD in Health Policy.

Ways you could make an impact:

  • Scope-of-practice legislation – Help expand or protect the roles of certified lab professionals at the state or national level.
  • Licensure requirements – Influence efforts in states with no mandatory licensing to adopt formal standards.
  • Reimbursement reform – Ensure fair compensation for high-complexity testing, especially molecular and genetic assays.
  • Pandemic preparedness – Contribute to public health policy that better supports labs in future emergencies.
  • Workforce initiatives – Shape incentives for rural lab staffing, funding for MLS education, and student loan forgiveness.
4. The Executive: Leadership at the Institutional Level

From laboratory supervisors to hospital executives, MLS professionals with leadership training can rise into strategic roles that shape healthcare delivery at scale. Their unique understanding of laboratory operations, turnaround time, and interdepartmental dependencies make them ideal leaders.

How to start: MBA, MHA, or leadership development programs within your health system.

Tip: Get involved in cross-functional committees early—think supply chain, infection prevention, or process improvement.

5. The Entrepreneur: Innovation in Diagnostics and Beyond

Some MLS professionals build their own companies—consulting firms, educational platforms, diagnostic startups, or even niche labs. With deep technical skills and firsthand knowledge of laboratory pain points, they’re uniquely positioned to innovate.

Startup ideas: Mobile phlebotomy, molecular testing services, AI-powered QA tools, or continuing education platforms.

Support systems: Investigate biotech incubators, pitch competitions, or small local business grants.

6. The Industry Insider: From Vendor Rep to Medical Science Liaison

MLS professionals are essential in diagnostics and biotech industries—as technical consultants, field application specialists, clinical trainers, or medical science liaisons (MSLs) who bridge research and application. These roles often offer travel, flexibility, and competitive salaries.

How to break in: Start by collaborating with reps at your current job. Attend vendor webinars. Explore job listings with companies like Roche, Abbott, or Thermo Fisher.

Must-have skill: Communication. You’ll be the face of science to clinicians and C-suite execs alike.

Breaking the Mold, Without Leaving the Mission

Choosing a nontraditional path doesn’t mean abandoning the profession; it’s an evolution of it. Every role mentioned above still centers on a shared foundation: using laboratory science to improve health outcomes. Whether you’re teaching, coding, advocating, or leading, your MLS training continues to save lives in new and broader ways.

As we confront workforce shortages, rising testing demands, and rapid tech advancements, we need more voices—MLS voices—at the table. Not just in the lab, but in the boardroom, the legislature, the classroom, and beyond.

So, the next time you’re pipetting at 3 am, remember, this may be where your journey began—but it doesn’t have to be where it ends.

References

Leah Ade is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Clinical Laboratory Science Department and Chair-Advising and Admissions for the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.