Application & Admissions

Prerequisite course work must be completed before admission to the Medical Laboratory Science Program. Requirements for admission are as follows:

• An applicant must have graduated from an accredited high school or its equivalent and have completed three years of work at a college or university affiliated with the NMMC Medical Laboratory Science Program. The educational sequence of three years of college and one year of clinical training must culminate in a baccalaureate degree.

OR

• An applicant may have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. The required premedical laboratory science courses must have been completed.

If the Bachelor of Science program is being followed for a degree in medical laboratory science, care should be taken that during the three years of college work all pretechnical requirements leading to the baccalaureate degree are met. A letter from the dean of the school stating that course requirements are being met must be submitted with application. Upon successful completion of the 52-week program, a B.S. degree in Medical Laboratory Science will be awarded.

Students enrolled at nonaffiliated colleges and universities must obtain a bachelor's degree before admission to the program will be granted. Course requirements are the same as stated below.

Each applicant must have maintained at least 2.6 GPA. A grade of " C " or better must be obtained in the following courses that are required in the pre-medical laboratory science curriculum:

Chemistry

One academic year of inorganic chemistry, one academic year of organic and/or biochemistry, and additional chemistry courses to total 16 semester hours.

Biological Sciences

Sixteen hours of biological science including microbiology and immunology which are taught as a separate course.

Mathematics

Three semester hours of mathematics. (Remedial mathematics do not satisfy the requirements.)

Electives

Sufficient to give the total number of required hours of college credit to culminate in a baccalaureate degree. These should be courses that will make for a broad general education such as English, social sciences or humanities. Highly recommended are courses in genetics, management, statistics, bioinstrumentation, physics, anatomy and physiology, and basic computer concepts.

Chemistry and Biological Science Requirement Contents

The content of chemistry and biological science courses must be acceptable as courses toward those fields of study. Survey courses do not qualify.

In order to be considered for selection, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• All premedical prerequisites must have been completed by the beginning date of the MLS program. The student must be eligible for a baccalaureate degree upon completion of the clinical program or already possess a baccalaureate degree.
• The applicant must have maintained a least a 2.60 GPA and must have a grade of “C” or better in the required 16 hours of biology and 16 hours of chemistry.
• All forms and applications, including the application for admission, a college transcript or a U.S. degree equivalency evaluation and the written personal recommendation from faculty and associates, must be complete and on file by the deadline date announced.
• The applicant must demonstrate an interest in and a desire to obtain proficiency in medical laboratory science.
• The applicant must have had a personal interview in conjunction with his application.
• The applicant’s health should permit him/her to meet the technical and intellectual standards of the program.
• The applicant must have taken a science course within the last seven years.

In the selection process, criteria influencing a student’s selection are as follows:

Extra points are awarded for the following electives if a grade of B or above is obtained:

Since a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college/university including courses in biological science, microbiology, immunology, chemistry and mathematics AND successful completion of a NAACLS accredited Medical Laboratory Science program within the last five years signifies that the holder is eligible to sit for the ASCP Board of Certification MLS(ASCP) Medical Laboratory Scientist examination category and signifies that the holder is prepared for entry into the profession, it follows that graduates must have knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of medical, research, sales and technical service representative situations and to demonstrate entry level competencies at all levels of professional practice. Therefore, the following abilities and expectations must be met by all students admitted to the program.

1. Essential Vision and Observational Skills:

The Medical Laboratory Science student must possess sufficient visual skills and skills of observation to perform and interpret laboratory assays at NMMC, including the ability to:

• Observe and perform laboratory demonstrations in which lab procedures are performed on patient samples (i.e., body fluids, culture materials, tissue sections, and cellular specimens) to test for their biochemical, hematological, immunological, microbiological, and histochemical components. (Manual Dexterity)
• Characterize the color, odor, clarity, and viscosity of biologicals, reagents, or chemical reaction products. (Vision)
• Use a clinical grade binocular microscope to discriminate among fine structural and color (hue, shading, and intensity) differences of microscopic specimens. (Vision, Fine Motor)
• Read and comprehend text, numbers, and graphs displayed in print and on a video monitor. (Reading, Comprehension)

2. Essential Motor and Mobility Skills:

The Medical Laboratory Science student must possess adequate motor and mobility skills to meet the movement requirements at NMMC including the ability to:

• Move freely and safely about the laboratory. (Physical, Mobility)
  Perform laboratory tests adhering to existing laboratory safety standards. (Physical, Mobility)
• Reach laboratory benchtops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds or patient seated in specimen collection furniture. (Physical, Mobility)
• Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work, often requiring prolonged sitting, over several hours and sometimes in cramped positions. (Physical)
• Maneuver phlebotomy and culture acquisition equipment to safely collect valid laboratory specimens from patients. (Mobility)
• Perform fine motor tasks such as pipetting, inoculating media, withdrawing a blood sample from a patient, handling small tools and/or parts to repair and correct equipment malfunctions, and transferring drops into tubes of small diameter. (Fine Motor)
• Use an electronic keyboard (i.e. 101-key IBM computer keyboard) to operate laboratory instruments and to calculate, record, evaluate, and transmit laboratory information. (Fine Motor)

3. Essential Communication Requirements:

The Medical Laboratory Science student must possess adequate communication skills at NMMC to:

• Read and comprehend technical and professional material (i.e. textbooks, magazine and journal articles, handbooks, instruction manuals and electronic media). (Reading, Comprehension)
• Follow verbal and written instructions in order to correctly and independently perform laboratory test procedures. (Hearing, Reading, Comprehension)
• Clearly instruct patients prior to specimens collection. (Speech)
  Effectively, confidentially, and sensitively converse with patients regarding laboratory tests.
  (Speech)
• Communicate with faculty members, fellow students, staff, and other health care professionals verbally and in a recorded format (writing, typing, graphics, or telecommunication). (Speech, Writing)
• Independently prepare papers, reports, and take lecture and practical exams. (Writing)

4. Essential Intellectual Requirements

The Medical Laboratory Science student must possess adequate communication skills to meet these intellectual requirements at NMMC:

• Possess these intellectual skills: comprehension, measurement, mathematical calculation, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and criticism. (Intellectual skills)
• Exercise sufficient judgement to recognize and correct performance deviation. (Judgement)

5. Essential Behavioral Requirements
The Medical Laboratory Science student must meet these behavioral requirements at NMMC:

• Manage the use of time and systematize actions in order to complete professional and technical tasks within realistic constraints. (Time Management)
• Possess the emotional health necessary to effectively employ intellect and exercise appropriate judgment. (Emotional Health)
• Be able to provide professional and technical services while experiencing the stresses of task-related uncertainty (i.e. ambiguous test ordering, ambivalent test interpretation), emergent demands (i.e."stat" test orders), and a distraction environment (i.e. high noise levels, crowding, complex visual stimuli). (Stress)
• Be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change. (Flexibility)
• Recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations and process safely in order to minimize risk of injury to patients, self, and nearby individuals. (Safety)
• Adapt to working with unpleasant biologicals. (Adaptation)
  Support and promote the activities of fellow students and of health care professionals. Promotion of peers helps furnish a team approach to learning, task completion, problem solving, and patient care. (Team Approach)
• Be honest, compassionate, ethical, and responsible. The student must be forthright about errors or uncertainty. The student must be able to critically evaluate her or his own performance, accept constructive criticism, and look for ways to improve (i.e. participate in enriched educational activities). The student must be able to evaluate the performance of fellow students and tactfully offer constructive comments. (Honest and Ethical, Compassionate)
• Show respect for individuals of different age, ethnic background, religion, and/or sexual orientation. (Compassionate and Respectful)
• Exhibit professional behavior by conforming to appropriate standards of dress, appearance, language and public behavior. (For example, body piercing other than the ears and visible tattoos are not considered professional appearance. This includes tongue piercing.) (Professionalism)

When an applicant has not taken an organic chemistry (or biochemistry) course and/or a microbiology course within the past seven years, it is necessary for him/her to update his/her knowledge in these areas before he/she can attend a medical laboratory science program. Updating coursework can be done in any of the following ways:

• A course may be taken in organic chemistry and/or biochemistry and microbiology. It must be acceptable toward a major in the appropriate area or be certified by the college or university as equivalent. A grade of "C" or better must be achieved in each course undertaken.
• Credit may be obtained for organic chemistry and/or biochemistry and microbiology by passing an examination in each course before admission to a medical laboratory science program. (If a grade is given for the examination in each course before admission to a medical laboratory science program. (If a grade is given for the examination, it must be at least a "C" or better. This arrangement must be made between the individual and the college or university facility).