How to become a medical laboratory scientist

Official title: Medical laboratory scientist

Also called: Epidemiologist, Ÿ Epidemiologist

Medical laboratory scientist performs clinical tests on bodily fluids and tissues to obtain information about the health status of a patient or cause of death. He/she operates, calibrates and maintains equipment used in analysis, such as mass spectrophotometers and automated analysers. He/she establishes, monitors and reviews quality management programmes to ensure the accuracy of laboratory results. He/she develops, standardises, modifies and evaluates procedures, techniques and tests used in the analysis of specimens. He/she cultures, isolates and identifies micro-organisms and viruses.

Main tasks

• Designing and conducting experiments and tests to discover new information to solve problems in areas such as the environment, agriculture and health, and to develop new products, processes and techniques for pharmaceutical, agricultural and environmental use
• Examining living organisms using a variety of specialised equipment, instruments, technologies and techniques such as electron microscopes, telemetry, global positioning systems, biotechnology, satellite imaging, genetic engineering, digital imaging analysis, polymerase chain reaction and computer modelling
• Assisting researchers in their conduct and implementation of clinical research projects

Ways in

• University: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 2 universities in Singapore

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $71,748 a year. The middle half earn $64,944 to $89,316 a year.
• Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Pharmacologist
• Biochemist
• Physiologist
• Animal scientist
• Medical scientist
• Clinical research professional

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Questions people ask

How do I become a medical laboratory scientist?

Ways in include: Medicine & Dentistry degrees.

How much does a medical laboratory scientist earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $71,748 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $64,944 to $89,316.

Will AI change the work of a medical laboratory scientist?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026