How To Become A Field Laboratory Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a field laboratory operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Field Laboratory Operators fall under the broader work classification of Chemical Technicians. They perform chemical and physical laboratory experiments to aid scientists in qualitative and quantitative scientific studies of different materials. Field laboratory operators also develop new products or methods and other scientific work, including theoretical or practical applications of chemistry and related sciences.

On a daily basis, field laboratory operators maintain and clean laboratory equipment. They observe product quality to ensure compliance with criteria and specifications as well. From time to time, they partake in safety programs or committees and perform laboratory or plant safety audits to implement and maintain a safe working environment.

Field laboratory operators usually have a bachelor's degree in chemical process technology or related field. Most positions require candidates to have relevant experiences in fields like microbiology or public health administration. To be successful in this role, field laboratory operators must have knowledge in both medical science and management concept. The average annual earnings for this role are around $53,129.

ScoreField Laboratory OperatorUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,062

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.9

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 9.31%

Black or African American 7.42%

Hispanic or Latino 16.40%

Unknown 4.27%

White 62.19%

Gender

female 37.43%

male 62.57%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.5

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a field laboratory operator

Explore field laboratory operator education requirements

Most common field laboratory operator degrees

Bachelor's

60.6 %

Associate

20.2 %

High School Diploma

10.6 %

Start to develop specific field laboratory operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Lab Equipment	23.81%
Chemistry	21.55%
Safety Regulations	11.20%
Test Results	4.88%
QC	4.62%

Complete relevant field laboratory operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New field laboratory operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a field laboratory operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real field laboratory operator resumes.

Research field laboratory operator duties and responsibilities

Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
Perform lab testing, including automatic titration, GC, and HPLC.
Develop and validate analytical methods for HPLC, GC-MS, UV-Vis, and FT-IR.
Maintain and calibrate lab and field equipment and document calibration to ensure equipment run optimal.

Prepare your field laboratory operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your field laboratory operator resume.

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