Medical Laboratory Science

Total Hours Required for Degree:  120

Alternate Names: Clinical Laboratory Science, Medical Technology

The Medical Laboratory Science curriculum is designed to prepare students for a career in determining the causes and cures of a variety of diseases. A Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) performs, interprets, and supervises the analysis of blood, plasma, serum, body fluids, and tissues in a medical clinical laboratory. After entering the workforce, a MLS may choose to specialize in Blood Bank, Chemistry, Hematology, Histology, Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, or Virology. McNeese State University’s four-year program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Medical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 North River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018-5119 (773-714-8880), www.naacls.org.

The curriculum consists of 120 semester hours. The first three years (81 hours) are completed on campus while the final year or clinical internship (39 hours) requires students to participate in web-based courses, campus lectures, and medical laboratory instruction.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Science. Graduates are then eligible to take the ASCP Board of Certification national exam and apply for a state license. The granting of a BS degree is not contingent upon passing the ASCP BOC or applying for a state license.

During the MLS internship, students may receive grades of ‘I’ (incomplete) if a course is still in progress when the semester ends. Grades of ‘I’ will be changed to letter grades at the end of the internship. If an ‘I’ grade is changed to a grade below a ‘C,’ the University may require the student to repay a portion of his/her federal financial assistance.

In order to apply for the MLS internship, students must meet the following requirements before submitting the Internship Application to the Admissions Committee during the second semester of their junior year.

• 2.7 GPA with no grade less than a ‘C’ in the curriculum;
• Repeat no more than two courses due to a ‘D’ or ‘F’ in the curriculum;
• Withdraw from or drop no more than four courses in the curriculum;
• Complete the Internship Application by the specified deadline; and,
• Complete all pre-clinical courses by the internship start date.

Selection into the clinical internship of the Medical Laboratory Science program is competitive due to the limited number of students approved for each clinical site. Students are admitted to clinical sites in June, August and January. If a student is denied acceptance into the MLS internship, the student will be redirected to alternative career opportunities or to appropriate remedial action. There is no substitution for the 12-month MLS internship. Students must comply with all University and medical laboratory policies during the MLS internship.

McNeese State University’s MLS internship affiliates include the following medical laboratories:

• Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, 3080 College Street, Beaumont, Texas
• Beauregard Memorial Hospital, 1118 North Pine Street, DeRidder, Louisiana
• Christus St. Patrick Hospital, 524 South Ryan Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Jennings American Legion Hospital, 1634 Elton Road, Jennings, Louisiana
• The Clinic, 501 Dr. Michael DeBakey Drive, Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Omega Diagnostics, LLC, 1910 Oak Park Boulevard, Lake Charles, Louisiana
• The Medical Laboratory of SW Louisiana, 1910 Oak Park Boulevard, Lake Charles, Louisiana
• The Pathology Laboratory, 830 West Bayou Pines, Lake Charles, Louisiana
• University Hospital and Clinics, 2390 West Congress Street, Lafayette, Louisiana

Independent MLS internship affiliates include the following laboratories:

• Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, 1701 Oak Park Boulevard, Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Rapides Regional Medical Center, 211 Fourth Street, Alexandria, Louisiana

Please Note: There are specific essential functions related to successful performance in this occupation. Contact the Program Director of Medical Laboratory Science before declaring Medical Laboratory Science as your major.