School of Biological Sciences
Medical laboratory scientists oversee all steps of lab testing processes
LSSU’s Medical Laboratory Science program has two concentrations: Academic and Clinical
| Academic Concentration | Clinical Concentration | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration (total) | 4 years | 4 ½ years |
| Certification Exam eligibility (upon graduation) | No | Yes |
| Admission | All who are accepted to LSSU | Competitive |
| Curriculum | All classroom lectures and labs | 4 years of classroom lectures and labs + 6 months clinical experience |
Academic Concentration
Microbiology students practicing techniques for counting bacteria
The Academic Concentration is designed to be completed in four years. When you finish the Academic Concentration you will receive a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, but you will not be eligible to take the Board of Certification exam. If you want to take the certification exam, you must first complete a six- to twelve-month clinical experience at an independent hospital-based MLS program that is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). There are three such programs in the state of Michigan, located at:
- DMC University Laboratories (Detroit)
- St. John Providence Health Laboratories (Detroit/Grosse Pointe)
- Beaumont Health System (Royal Oak)
LSSU cannot guarantee acceptance into any of the hospital-based programs. While completing this clinical experience, you are not an LSSU student (you have already graduated), and you do not pay LSSU tuition (some hospital programs charge their own tuition; some do not).
Clinical Concentration
Medical Laboratory Science students examining the eggs of parasitic worms
The Clinical Concentration is designed to be completed in four and a half years. When you finish the Clinical Concentration you will receive a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science and you will be eligible to take the Board of Certification exam. The last six months of the Clinical Concentration is spent one of our Clinical Affiliate partner labs: you will spend each day in a real-life laboratory performing tests on real-life patient specimens. Because our Clinical Affiliates can accommodate only a limited number of students each year, admission into the Clinical Concentration is by competitive application at the end of your junior year.
Entry into and completion of MLS – Clinical Concentration
All students wishing to major in Medical Laboratory Science must begin by declaring the MLS-Academic Concentration as their major.
The course requirements for the first three years of the Academic Concentration and the first three years of the Clinical Concentration are exactly the same.
Students may apply to enter the Clinical Concentration near the end of their junior year (details in the Student Handbook). Students who are accepted finish the last 1½ years according to the course requirements of the Clinical Concentration. Students who do not apply to or who are not accepted into the Clinical Concentration finish the last 1 year according to the course requirements of the Academic Concentration.
Clinical Concentration: Student Handbook
Some of the information in the Student Handbook is reproduced below:
II. Program Mission Statement
The mission of the Lake Superior State University Medical Laboratory Science- Clinical Concentration Program is to train competent entry-level Medical Laboratory Scientists.
III. Program Accreditation Information
The Lake Superior State University (LSSU) Medical Laboratory Science (MLS)—Clinical Concentration Program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). NAACLS may be contacted at:
5600 N. River Rd. Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
Phone: 773-714-8880
Fax: 773-714-8886
IV. Program Director
Martha A. Hutchens, Ph.D., MLS(ASCP)CM
Associate Professor
School of Science and Medicine
Lake Superior State University
650 W. Easterday Ave.
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
VI. Program Outcomes Measures
A. Certification Rate
This Program is required to publish the average certification rate of its graduates over past three years. The first two cohorts of students have graduated from the program and taken the certification exam, with a 100% certification rate (n = 5 students).
B. Graduation Rate
This Program is required to publish the percent of students who begin the final half of the Program who also complete the Program, averaged over the past three years. The “final half” of the program is defined as beginning at acceptance into the Clinical Concentration. The first two cohorts of students have graduated from the program, with a 100% graduation rate (n = 5 students).
C. Attrition Rate
This Program is required to publish the percent of students who begin the final half of the Program who do not complete the Program, averaged over the past three years. The “final half” of the program is defined as beginning at acceptance into the Clinical Concentration. The first two cohorts of students have graduated from the program, with a 0% attrition rate (n = 5 students).
D. Placement Rate
This Program is required to publish the percent of graduates who find employment within the field of medical laboratory science or who pursue further education, on average over the past three years. The first two cohorts of students have graduated from the program, with a 100% placement rate (n = 5 students). (All of them received several job offers as soon as or even before they graduated.)
VII. Program Goals and Graduate Competencies
The goals of the Lake Superior State University Medical Laboratory Science- Clinical Concentration Program are to provide the information, personal interactions, and experiences that will prepare students to:
- Understand and analyze medical laboratory tests and situations
- Quickly, accurately, and precisely perform medical laboratory test procedures
- Conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner.
Graduate competences (aka Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes)
1) Graduates of the MLS Program will recall fundamental principles of each discipline used in the medical laboratory, including:
- Basic Laboratory Operations
- Clinical Chemistry
- Hematology/Hemostasis
- Immunology/Serology
- Immunohematology
- Microbiology (including Mycology and Parasitology)
- Urine and Body Fluids Analysis
- Regulations pertaining to the medical laboratory
- Communication
- Education
- Professionalism
- Finances
- Management
- Clinical Research
2) Graduates of the MLS Program will, given the necessary data, draw accurate conclusions about the quality of a clinical laboratory test and suggest appropriate action
3) Given a set of clinical laboratory data, graduates of the MLS Program will draw accurate conclusions about the health of the patient and suggest a correct course of action
4) Graduates of the MLS Program will use the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses
5) Graduates of the MLS Program will communicate clearly in writing
6) Graduates of the MLS Program will safely and accurately perform basic medical laboratory test procedures
7) Graduates of the MLS Program will demonstrate entry-level competency in medical laboratory test procedures
8) Graduates of the MLS Program will exhibit professional behavior and attitudes
VIII. List of Clinical Affiliates
War Memorial Hospital, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Jennifer Kabat, MT(ASCP) and Claire LaPlaunt, MT(ASCP)
Laboratory Co-Directors
War Memorial Hospital
Sault Sainte Marie, MI, 49783
jkabat@wmhos.org
claplaunt@wmhos.org
906-635-4430
Helen Newberry Joy Hospital, Newberry, MI
Clinical Liaison:
Mitchell Grigg MBA, MT(ASCP)
Laboratory Director
Helen Newberry Joy Hospital
Newberry MI, 49868
906-293-9189
Mackinac Straits Health System, St. Ignace, MI
Laboratory Director:
Karen Schwiderson, MT(ASCP)
Mackinac Straits Health System
1140 N. State St.
St. Ignace, MI 49781
906-643-1193
Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, Manistique, MI
Laboratory Manager: Karen Cirino, MT(ASCP)
7870W US Hwy 2
Manistique, MI 49854
(906) 341-3216
