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AFSC 43T4, Staff
AFSC 43T3, Qualified
AFSC 43T1, Entry

Specialty Summary. Manages, directs, supervises, and performs analyses of biologic and related materials in hospital, environmental, occupational, epidemiological, toxicological, or research and development laboratories; and teaches medical laboratory sciences. Related DoD Occupational Group: 6H.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Directs and supervises laboratory services. Serves as Chief of Laboratory Services or as Chief of one or more areas of Laboratory Services. Supervises the management of reference data for members of the medical provider staff. Maintains records and reports on laboratory operations necessary to provide workload accountability. Serves on professional, technical, consultant, and advisory committees to improve working relationships with other staff members and to communicate with biomedical laboratory officers and members of other specialties within the USAF Medical Service. Participates in meetings of professional societies and symposia and disseminates information obtained to other biomedical science personnel.

Conducts scientific analyses. Performs and supervises analyses in one or more areas of biomedical laboratory disciplines including clinical chemistry, environmental and industrial hygiene, chemistry, toxicology, microbiology, hematology, coagulation, serology, immunology, blood banking, immunohematology and virology.

Performs specialized duties. Manages and performs the development, evaluation, and application of new, modified, and improved procedures, techniques, and equipment for updating the laboratory services, including data automation and reporting. Responsible for correcting any analytic technical problems within the laboratory. Maintains surveillance of scientific literature, and recognizes need for applying new or improved techniques and procedures. Consults with other medical staff members to determine their requirements for effective patient care. Stays abreast of current Air Force requirements and developments through consultations and meetings with Air Force biomedical laboratory officers and other members of the Air Force Medical Service.

Performs teaching duties. Teaches and instructs medical and related personnel in both technical and interpretive aspects for a variety of laboratory sciences.

Establishes and maintains a program of quality control commensurate with specified Air Force regulations and requirements set forth by select national accrediting agencies. Establishes and maintains the proper use of calibration standards, reference samples, and quality control charts. Applies standard statistical methods to daily laboratory results, and ensures that results are reported only when they conform to predetermined statistical limits and criteria. Participates in recognized proficiency surveys.

Ensures equipment, apparatus, and other instruments are in correct operating condition. Ensures instruments requiring calibration or other standardization are calibrated and standardized. Ensures faulty equipment, instruments, and apparatus are repaired or replaced. Updates present equipment.

Specialty Qualifications:

Knowledge. Knowledge is mandatory of one or more areas of specialization within the field of biomedical laboratory science.

Education. The following education is required as indicated:

For entry in AFSC 43T1A, it is mandatory to possess a baccalaureate degree in medical technology or equivalent from an institution acceptable to the Surgeon General, HQ USAF.

For entry into AFSCs 43T1B/C/D/E/F/G/H, a master’s degree is mandatory in the area of specialization identified by the suffix.

Training. For award of AFSC 43T3A, completion of the USAF Medical Technology Internship or equivalent program acceptable to the Surgeon General, HQ USAF, is mandatory.

Experience. For award of AFSC 43T3X, a minimum of 24 months of experience is mandatory in biomedical laboratory assignments.

Other. For award of AFSC 43T1A, current certification by either the American Society of Clinical Pathologists as a Medical Technologist or the National Certifying Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist is mandatory.

Specialty Shredouts:

A..................Biomedical Laboratory Science. Performs and supervises work in any recognized area of clinical laboratory.

B..................Microbiology. Performs and supervises microbiology examinations in the medical laboratories. Master’s degree in microbiology/ bacteriology or clinical pathology specializing in microbiology is mandatory.

C..................Clinical Chemistry. Performs and supervises chemical analyses in medical laboratories. Master’s degree in chemistry (including 1 year of biochemistry or clinical chemistry) or clinical pathology specializing in chemistry is mandatory.

D..................Environmental and Industrial Hygiene Chemistry. Performs and supervises chemical and other evaluations for the environmental and occupational settings. A master’s degree in one of the following scientific disciplines or equivalent experience acceptable to the Surgeon General, HQ USAF, is mandatory: Industrial Hygiene Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or Chemical Toxicology.

E..................Blood Bank. Performs and supervises blood bank activities, including collecting, processing, and issuing blood and blood components. Master’s degree in immunohematology, clinical pathology specializing in immunohematology, medical technology, or equivalent experience acceptable to the Surgeon General, HQ USAF, is mandatory.

F..................Toxicologist. Performs and supervises chemical and other evaluations in determining and estimating harmful effect of exposure to environmental, occupational, chemical and materials. Master’s degree in Toxicology is desirable.

G.................. Other. Performs and supervises areas in clinical, research and development, epidemiological, or environmental health laboratories not covered by other suffixes. Master's degree in a biomedical science is mandatory.

H..................Hematology. Performs and supervises hematology and hemostasis analysis in medical laboratories. A Master’s degree in hematology, clinical pathology specializing in hematology, medical technology, or equivalent experience acceptable to the Surgeon General, HQ USAF, is mandatory.

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Above Information Derived from AFMAN 36-2105