Bridging the gap between science graduates and medical laboratory workforce needs: a cross-sectional study of graduates and laboratory managers in Israel

Medical laboratory services are essential to modern healthcare systems, yet many countries face persistent shortages of qualified medical laboratory professionals. Although dedicated medical laboratory science programs remain central to workforce preparation, graduates from Life Sciences and related fields may represent a supplementary recruitment pool. This study examined factors associated with entry into medical laboratory work among such graduates and explored laboratory managers’ perspectives on recruitment and retention challenges. A cross-sectional study was conducted using two complementary surveys in Israel. The first targeted graduates of Life Sciences and related fields and assessed demographic and academic characteristics, familiarity with the medical laboratory profession, exposure during academic training, perceptions of medical laboratory work, previous or current medical laboratory work experience, and expected career satisfaction. The second targeted medical laboratory managers and assessed medical laboratory characteristics, staffing shortages, and perceived factors influencing recruitment and retention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, chi-square tests, Pearson correlations, multivariable logistic regression, and multivariable linear regression. A total of 178 graduates and 21 medical laboratory managers participated. Among graduates, 37% were currently employed in medical laboratories, 13% had worked in the field previously, and 51% had never worked in a medical laboratory. Graduates reported low perceived professional prestige and limited advancement opportunities, although many viewed medical laboratory work as meaningful and important to healthcare. Familiarity with the profession was strongly associated with previous or current medical laboratory work experience. The combined prestige and clinical meaningfulness item was also positively associated with previous or current medical laboratory work experience, whereas greater importance assigned to promotion opportunities was negatively associated with previous or current medical laboratory work experience. Expected satisfaction with a medical laboratory career was positively associated with familiarity and the combined prestige and clinical meaningfulness item. Medical laboratory managers reported staffing shortages and identified salary, promotion opportunities, professional development, working conditions, and work-life balance as important retention factors. Medical laboratory workforce shortages may reflect not only retention challenges or training capacity, but also barriers limiting entry among scientifically trained graduates. These findings identify earlier exposure to medical laboratory careers, clearer communication of certification and advancement pathways, improved professional visibility, and better alignment between educational requirements, working conditions, and career development opportunities as potential strategies for future evaluation.