University of the Sciences has renamed its medical technology program the Medical Laboratory Science Program, a change that better reflects the programs course of study. The change for the program which is among the offerings of the University’s Samson College of Health Sciences, was formally approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education over the summer.
Students in the Medical Laboratory Science Program, who can also be called clinical laboratory scientists, learn to perform laboratory tests using sophisticated instrumentation in order to help diagnose diseases and monitor treatments. USciences’ BS program is one of the few hospital based programs in the region directed by a certified medical technologist, and focuses on the science behind the medicine.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that graduates in the field can expect faster than average job growth with excellent job prospects as “the volume of laboratory tests continues to increase with both population growth and the development of new types of tests.”
As noted in The PA Department of Education’s approval, the name change “provides a truer representation of the knowledge and skill related to the existing program of study.” It also provides a more accurate description of the actual field graduates will be employed in. The change also conforms to new certification credentials. Students who now pass the certification exam following graduation will receive the credentials MLS(ASCP), meaning Medical Laboratory Scientist certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. The curriculum required to complete the program is unchanged.
The change in title to the Medical Laboratory Science Program will apply to all students admitted to the 2011 fall semester and later. Students presently enrolled in the program will be given the option to receive a degree with either the former or the new title.