FileEvery semester at 成人头条, 16 students join the current crop of med techs studying in the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS). And every semester, 16 graduate with jobs as medical laboratory scientists in labs across the region.
Associate Professor Jean Brickell, department chair and program director for MLS, boasts a 100 percent placement rate for her students in what the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is a career that鈥檚 growing much faster than average.
鈥淥ur MLS program is competitive and top-notch,鈥� Brickell said, 鈥渆asily the equal of any other in the state. It鈥檚 a very interesting field, and it鈥檚 always changing.鈥�
Medical laboratory scientists (also known as medical laboratory technologists, or med techs) collect samples and perform tests to analyze body fluids, tissue and other substances. They play an important role in the health care system, providing diagnostic services to determine appropriate treatment options for patients.
The MLS program at WSU prepares graduates to service all departments of a clinical laboratory, with full access to labs and facilities that gives students practical experience. Graduates may further their education to become specialists in clinical microbiology, clinical hematology, clinical chemistry or blood bank, but the program is designed to be a self-contained degree. MLS graduates enter the workforce as fully skilled medical technologists.
Regional Medical Labs in Tulsa, Okla., is one of many facilities that partners with WSU鈥檚 program. David Bellinger, medical technologist and clinical coordinator, says that he鈥檚 always impressed with the caliber of med techs 成人头条 State sends him.
鈥淲SU students are reliably some of the best 鈥� if not the best 鈥� students in clinical rotations year after year,鈥� he said. 鈥淪everal WSU graduates have stayed in Tulsa after their rotations to work at our facility, and they have been valuable assets to our team. We love WSU students!鈥�
MLS candidates
According to Brickell, candidates for MLS are similar to nursing students. Both disciplines require students who are pretty good at science, but there are differences.
鈥淚 always tell them when they come for recruitment, 鈥業f you liked to cut up the cat or the frog or whatever in high school, this is for you,鈥欌�� Brickell said. 鈥淚f you said 鈥榚ww,鈥� this is not for you. This career is for people who are not 鈥榩eople-people.鈥� We鈥檙e okay with that.鈥�
MLS is a 17-month program, so for the first three years pre-MLS students work on their prerequisites and general education requirements, just like other students. Then they apply to the MLS program. New students spend 12 months working closely with their peers before being placed in a facility for five-month rotations.
Julie Ghere is one of WSU鈥檚 med techs doing clinicals at Newton Medical Center. It鈥檚 a smaller lab, but it鈥檚 the first medical laboratory she鈥檇 ever actually seen, and she says working there has been invaluable to her education.
鈥淚 spend my day assigned to another medical technologist who helps train and sharpen my skills,鈥� Ghere said. 鈥淭he teaching techs are very patient and always willing to clarify any topic. With supervision, I am entrusted with hands-on learning experiences on different tests and procedures.鈥�
Brickell herself has more than 30 years of professional experience in medical laboratory science. She taught MLS at the University of Alaska, University of Texas and the University of Kentucky before coming to WSU, and her passion for the work has been an advantage for the department and her students. Some of the changes she鈥檚 introduced include partnering with Newman University to create a flexible dual degree program, which allows Newman biology students to spend their last year studying MLS at 成人头条 State, and adding a new molecular biology course to keep students on the cutting edge of advances in epidemiology and virology.
The changes are exciting for her students.
鈥淭he laboratory is definitely changing,鈥� Ghere said. 鈥淢olecular testing and diagnostic is the new spotlight of the lab. Many viruses and other microscopic pathogens can be detected within a day. Automation is also growing in the lab. This is a great invention, since it increases the number of samples and lowers the time.鈥�
Community support
Compared to other MLS programs, WSU has a lot to offer because of the number of professional medical laboratories willing to host MLS students. Brickell says that the community support for 成人头条 State is the best she鈥檚 ever seen.
That鈥檚 because the program started as small, separate training programs in local hospitals that later merged at WSU. Because local hospitals have ownership in the MLS program, they have provided generous support, including sitting on the MLS advisory board, taking on extra WSU students for clinical rotations and providing expired reagents and equipment.
鈥淎ll of our facilities have been very supportive,鈥� Brickell said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 no big mystery why: they want to hire our students. Their rotations are basically a big job interview.鈥�
Kristin Franklin, assistant director of laboratory services at the Hutchinson Clinic, agreed.
鈥淲e enjoy working with the students,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淭his has allowed us to get to know their work ethic before we hire them. WSU does a good job preparing their students for the workplace, and we have been happy with the students we have hired.鈥�
Brickell has been happy with the arrangement, too, but she鈥檚 always on the lookout for more rotation partners.
鈥淩otations are a critical component of MLS training,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ith more options for sites, we will be in an even better position to produce excellent community health workers. Rotations are the polish that turns our students into professionals. It鈥檚 a good deal for everyone.鈥�